Star sprinter Mpumelelo Mhlongo won Team SA’s first medal at the 2024 Paralympics – and it was GOLD. The men’s T44 100m world record holder stopped the clock in 11.12sec to take gold in front of a packed Stade de France on Sunday night.

Also involved in finals action on the evening was young high jumper Khumo Pitso who finished fifth after a best leap of 1.98m in the men’s T24 competition for an AREA RECORD, while Liezel Gouws finished eighth in the women’s T37 long jump.

Puseletso Mabote equalled the PARALYMPIC RECORD when he won his T63 100m  heat in 12.05sec to be fastest qualifier heading into the final.

Earlier, double medallist from Tokyo, Louzanne Coetzee, stamped herself as a medal prospect after qualifying second fastest for the women’s T11 1500m final at the Stade de France. Along with her guide, Erasmus Badenhorst, the pair will line up in the four-woman final and based on her form shown on Sunday, the Team SA athlete will be hard to beat on Monday.

Archer Shaun Anderson had got Team SA’s Sunday campaign off to a good start when he reached the quarter-finals of the men’s individual W1 category, setting up a last eight showdown with China’s Tianxin Zhan at the 2024 Paralympic Games. There, he went down to the No1 seed 136-134.

ARCHERY

Men’s individual W1, 1/8 stage: *9 Shaun Anderson beat *6 Tigit Aydin (Turkey) 133-132 (26-23, 51-50, 77-80, 104-106, 133-132)

Men’s individual W1, quarter-final: *9 Shaun Anderson lost to *1 Tianxin Zhang (China) 136-134 (28-27, 56-55, 80-80, 108-107, 134-136)

ATHLETICS

Women’s 1500m, T11 round one: Louzanne Coetzee finished 2nd in her heat in 4:45.25, a season’s best, to qualify for the final 2nd fastest

Women’s discus, F64 final: Yane van der Merwe didn’t measure a distance

Men’s 100m, T44 final: GOLD! Mpumelelo Mhlongo won the gold medal in 11.12sec

Men’s high jump, T47 final: Khumo Pitso finished 5th with a best leap of 1.98m

Men’s 100m, T64 heats: Paul Daniels finished 4th in an area record 11.23sec and just missed out on the final, placing 9th overall

Men’s 100m, T64 heats: Daniel du Plessis finished 7th in his heat in 11.75 for 14th overall

Men’s 100m, T63 heats: Puseletso Mabote equalled the Paralympic record when he won his heat in 12.05sec to be fastest qualifier heading into the final

Women’s long jump, T37 final: Liezel Gouws finished 8th with a best leap of 3.62m

WHEELCHAIR TENNIS

Men’s singles, second round: Alwande Sikhosana lost to Daisuke Arai (Japan) 6-1 6-0

Quad Doubles, semi-finals: Daniel Ramphadi and Lucas Sithole lost to *1 Sam Schroder and Niels Vink (Netherlands) 6-1 6-1

Photo: ROGER SEDRES

SOURCED FROM TEAM SA WEBSITE.