PARIS, France — Tunisia’s Raoua Tlili won her fifth consecutive gold medal in shot put at her fifth Paralympics on Friday while the United States captured its first gold.
Tlili's throw of 10.40 meters at the Stade de France was good enough to win the F41 class for a third straight Games. Her first two shot put golds, in Beijing and London, were in the F40 class. The difference is in stature.
She is 1.33-meters (4-foot-4) tall and 34 years old, and proud of her latest achievement.
“It’s not easy as a short-stature person that is of my age ... especially if you compete against opponents who are 22, 25 years old,” Tlili said.
“The Algerians, the Tunisians, everyone who lives in Paris, came and got reunited to watch me. (I heard them saying) ‘Raoua, Raoua, gold, gold.’”
Tlili also won discus gold medals in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.
Pergolini wins first gold for US
Reigning Paralympic champion and world record holder Gia Pergolini defended her women’s 100-meter backstroke S13 title Friday, claiming the first gold medal for the United States.
Competing in her second event in Paris, Pergolini, who is from Atlanta, opened her signature race fast and fought off fatigue over the final 15 meters to finish in a time of 1 minute, 04.93 seconds.
“Usually for my 100 back, I know I go out really fast and my mindset was you’re going to go out really fast anyway so just pace yourself,” she said. "I’ve done this so many times so it’s kind of second nature to me."
First para-athletics gold goes to Brazil
The first para-athletics gold of the Paralympics was claimed by Brazil’s Julio Cesar Agripino in the men’s 5,000-meter T11 event for runners with a near-total visual impairment.
In a closely contested race, he broke the world record with a time of 14 minutes, 48.85 seconds, edging Japan’s Kenya Karasawa by three seconds, and fellow Brazilian Yeltsin Jacques, the previous world record-holder.
"Today, it's my day, my title. It means a lot,” Agripino said.
Cyclist wins France’s second gold
France claimed its second gold medal of the Games with cyclist Alexandre Léauté’s triumph in the men’s C2 3,000-meter individual pursuit.
Léauté, who also won gold in Tokyo, won by two seconds from Ewoud Vromant of Belgium, delighting the home crowd at the vélodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.
Brazil starts goalball defense with win
Brazil's men's goalball team started its title defense with a 13-8 win over the United States in group play.
Goalball is for the vision impaired, and the three-member teams wear blackout glasses. The goals are nine-meters wide. The crowd must be silent so the players can hear the ball with bells inside.
Leomon Moreno led Brazil with six points. A veteran of four Paralympic Games, Moreno praised the high level of goalball in Brazil. “I’m very glad, because I can keep myself playing with these guys,” he said.