New Paralympic star Frech aims for high jump glory as basketball hots up
Sports
Ezra Frech will aim to add a high jump title to his newly acquired 100 metres crown.
PARIS (AFP) – American amputee star Ezra Frech will aim to add a high jump title to his newly acquired 100 metres crown at the Paralympics on Tuesday while the men's wheelchair basketball competition heated up at the quarter-final stage.
At the Stade de France on Monday, Frech surprised even himself by winning the T63 100m to take the first Paralympic title of his career -- and in an event he said he had only been using as preparation for the high jump.
"I was treating this as like a warm-up for high jump. Go out there, get the blood flowing, have a good race, and then come back tomorrow and win the high jump," the 19-year-old Californian said.
"But at about 50 metres, I was like, whoa, I'm in this, I got a good start, I've done everything right... I felt like everybody (else in the race) was sleeping on me."
Frech, who was born with congenital differences that left him without a knee or fibula in his left leg and without fingers on his left hand, is a hot favourite for the high jump -- his 1.97m world record is seven centimetres higher than any of his competitors have ever jumped.
It was a golden night on Monday too for Brazilian swimmer Gabrielzinho, who won a third gold medal at these Games.
The 22-year-old, who has no arms or hands and whose legs are atrophied, powered to victory in the 200 metres freestyle S2 final.
Gabrielzinho, who has become one of the faces of the action in Paris, held off the challenge of neutral athlete Vladimir Danilenko and said he had "a feeling of a mission accomplished".
The third gold for the Brazilian, whose full name is Gabriel Geraldo dos Santos Araujo, follows his successes in the 100m backstroke and 50m backstroke.
BASKETBALL REPEAT
In men's wheelchair basketball, the USA face host nation France in the last quarter-final of the day in a repeat of the entertaining Olympic final between the two countries that was decided by the three-point heroics of USA guard Stephen Curry.
Just as it was for that game, the Bercy Arena will have an electric atmosphere as the home fans pack it to the rafters.
The Americans are aiming for a third Paralympic title in a row but face the challenge of a fast and skilful British squad.
Britain though must first get past old foes Australia in their quarter-final.
Germany beat Spain 57-49 and Canada overcame the Netherlands 79-67 in the first two quarter-finals.
Back at the Stade de France, Swiss wheelchair racer Catherine Debrunner won her third gold of these Games in the T54 1500m -- and turned her attention to three more events.
Debrunner has already taken gold in the 800m T53 event and the 5000m T54 final and will now aim for glory in the 100m, 400m and the marathon for a remarkable six-gold haul.
China steadily built up their gold medals on the sixth day of competition to stand on 50 midway through Tuesday evening, opening up a big gap on closest challengers Britain who have 29, with the USA third on 18.
