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Home , Formula One, Shingo Kunieda

Established 1961

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2021

TOKYO: ’s Shingo Kunieda poses in front of media after he won gold during his men’s singles gold medal match against ’ Tom Egberink at the 2020 Paralympic Games at Ariake Tennis Park in Tokyo yesterday. — AFP Japan’s Kunieda strikes gold as pandemic Games lauded

TOKYO: Wheelchair tennis legend Shingo Kunieda track, with Britain’s Cockroft winning the seventh ‘Out of this world’ looked like a knife but we didn’t want to believe claimed gold for Japan, as the successful staging of Paralympic gold of her career. “Hurricane Hannah” International Paralympic Committee spokesper- it.”There was more success for Australia and Britain the Games was lauded as “remarkable” on yester- clocked 1min 48.99sec in the T34 800m, obliterating son Craig Spence hailed “an amazing team effort” as the sprint canoeing program concluded at the Sea day’s penultimate day of Paralympics action in Tokyo. her own Paralympic record set in Rio by almost 12 that enabled the Games to take place in a pandemic. Forest Waterway. Australia’s Curtis McGrath, who lost Top seed Kunieda, who has won 45 titles seconds. “It’s remarkable. There were doubts in the past two his legs when he trod on an explosive device while in his storied career, was looking to reclaim the “I don’t think it will ever years when I thought these serving in Afghanistan, won his second gold in the Paralympic singles crown he won in 2008 and 2012. sink in,” Cockroft said of Games weren’t going to men’s VL3 final. Cheah Liek Hou of had the And he did not disappoint in the final against the winning her second Tokyo ‘Hurricane happen,” Spence told honor of winning the first Paralympics badminton Netherlands’ Tom Egberink, dispatching the gold to go with her three reporters. “We took inspi- gold in history when he beat ’s Dheva eight seed 6-1, 6-2 in 1hr, 18min. He looked skywards golds won at Rio 2016 and Hannah’ ration from our athletes. Anrimusthi 21-17, 21-15 in the men’s Singles SU5 final after Egberink hit the net on match point, then two from London 2012. breaks own They seem to make the at the Yoyogi National Stadium. sobbed before embracing his opponent. “I feel like “Not many athletes get the impossible possible. The A few minutes later, Japan’s Sarina Satomi I’m still in a dream,” he said. privilege of doing this for Paralympic sporting performances became the first woman to win badminton gold Kunieda, who had missed out on a doubles bronze 10 years or get to stand on have been out of this when she came from a game down to beat the previous night, said his quarter-final loss at the the podium that many record world.” Thailand’s Sujirat Pookkham 14-21, 21-19, 21-13 in 2016 Rio Games had haunted him to the point where times.” But there was a note of the wheelchair WH1 singles. Midfielder Raimundo he thought about retiring. “I gave everything for this American Mayhugh controversy when Peter Mendes scored the only goal of the game as day, and I’m glad it’s paid off,” he said. Bronze went smashed his own world record, set only the day Genyn of claimed his wheelchair had been beat 1-0 in a clash of South American to , who beat 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 before, to take gold in the men’s T37 200m in sabotaged and had to be patched up with duct tape football giants in the five-a-side gold medal match. just a day after the British pair had teamed up to win 21.91sec. “I know I’ll never be able to run 9.5 for the before he won the T51 100m late on Friday night. “We And Iran, featuring the Games’ tallest athlete in doubles silver. 100m, but I want to be the Usain Bolt of the had just arrived 45 minutes before the warm-up and 246-cm Morteza Mehrzadselakjani, topped the Earlier in the day, Hannah Cockroft and Nick Paralympics,” said the former footballer, who we had three flat and a broken compensator,” he podium in men’s , beating the Mayhugh enjoyed yet more success on the athletics claimed his third Tokyo gold. said. “The day before we had a flat front , and it Russian team 25-21, 25-14, 19-25, 25-17. — AFP

Sandrine Martinet recalling the famously packed France eyes ‘British stands in London as a turning point. “Culturally speak- ing, we felt the atmosphere was different in London. Verstappen beats Hamilton Something happened during those Games.” model’ ahead of Paris Estanguet credits “a really strong approach to tick- eting, based on school audiences, which worked really to pole for his home Dutch GP 2024 Paralympics well.” And the communication, publicity and ticketing made a tangible difference: while only 18 percent of Brits could name a Paralympian in 2010, the figure was TOKYO: As Tokyo’s Paralympics draw to a close and 41 percent by the end of the 2012 Games. Interest in focus shifts to Paris 2024, France is looking for inspira- the Paralympics and medal success have gone hand in tion to the so-called “British model” that has produced hand for Britain, which hasn’t come lower than third in Games success. Team GB is riding high in the medal the medal table in the last 20 years and has only tables at Tokyo once again, trailing only China in terms slipped below second once. The Paralympics have a of golds. particularly British history, having been invented in the And London’s Paralympics are widely cited as the UK’s Stoke Mandeville which hosted the first precur- benchmark for the biggest international event in para sor to the Games in 1948. . “We all took note of the success of London But the Brits have also not rested on their laurels, 2012. It was a real turning point,” says Tony Estanguet, managing to maintain their position even as other president of the Paris 2024 organizing committee. countries improve. That has contributed to a profes- “We’ve met their teams and continue to work with sionalization of the Games. “You can’t win a medal them,” he told AFP, adding that he talked during the here if you train two or three times a week,” points out Olympics with his London 2012 counterpart Sebastian German long jumper Markus Rehm. “This has Coe, who now heads World Athletics. “Their success changed.” was about very strong communication,” says

Estanguet, citing efforts by both the organizing com- ‘Work to do’ mittee, but also the advertising campaign of Paralympic ZANDVOORT: ’s Dutch driver celebrates in the parc ferme of the One of the features of the British model has been broadcaster . Zandvoort circuit after he clocked the best time of the qualifying session of the Netherlands’ the integration of disabled athletes into the federations The British channel famously rolled out its Formula One Grand Prix in Zandvoort yesterday. — AFP in charge of each sport. France begun doing the same Paralympic campaign after the Olympics under the in December 2016 after a decree issued by the sports tagline “Thanks for the warm-up”, in an unapologetic ministry. ZANDVOORT: Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claimed were flying after Hamilton’s Mercedes had ground to a celebration of the sporting prowess of Paralympians. “What we want is to do sport together,” said for his home , edging halt on the track. And it has run award-winning television promotions Sophie Cluzel, French secretary of state for people championship leader with a scintillat- The Dutchman, who is just three points behind for the Paralympics under the theme “Meet the with disabilities. But Stephane Houdet, France’s other ing performance in qualifying yesterday. Roared on by Hamilton in the championship standings, escaped a Superhumans.” Tokyo Paralympics flagbearer and a wheelchair tennis the crowd, Verstappen, who trails Hamilton by three grid penalty with the stewards concluding that he “The investment that Channel 4 has put in us has player, believes his country is “still at the start of the points in the title race, was just 0.038 seconds quicker “took every reasonable action to comply with rules”. shown disability in a really positive way,” British road.” “The Olympic delegation came with 24 staff than the Mercedes driver who joins him on the front Stewards said that Verstappen, who was travelling at sprinter Libby Clegg told AFP. The two-time silver members, we have three,” he told AFP. “We don’t have row on the Zandvoort circuit’s first race since 1985. 260km/h when the red light was signaled, immediately medalist at Rio began her Paralympic career in Beijing a physio, or a doctor,” he added. “We still have work to Home favorite Verstappen was already in flying braked but his “momentum carried him past Stroll” in 2008 and has seen the evolution of coverage and do.” form earlier yesterday, setting the fastest time in the who was doing 110km/h. focus on Paralympics. “It has been great for us as dis- Cyclist Francois Pervis came to parasports as a final practice at Zandvoort. The Red Bull driver’s time Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez was abled people especially in the UK. It is great to see sighted pilot working with visually impaired of 1min 9.623sec was half a second faster than second- fourth followed by an impressive in that this coverage has continued on,” she said. Paralympian Raphael Beaugillet and says the British best whose Mercedes teammate Lewis the Alpine and McLaren’s . The ,

model shows clear results at the Games. “They put dis- Hamilton was third in 1:10.417. Verstappen earlier which had dominated Friday’s second session, lost their British Paralympic history abled sport on the same level as non-disabled. They escaped sanction after being summoned to explain to way as crashed heavily at the banked And it’s not just British athletes who feel that way, share training slots at the national velodrome,” he said. the stewards why he overtook ’s Aston Hugenholtz corner while only man- with French judoka and Tokyo Games flagbearer “If we asked for that, they’d laugh in our face.” — AFP Martin during Friday’s second practice while red flags aged ninth fastest. — AFP