Fencing star Bebe Vio misses gold again at Paralympics
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(From left) Italy's Andreea Mogos, Bebe Vio, Loredana Trigilia and Rossana Pasquino celebrate after winning bronze in team fencing at the Paris Paralympics.
PHOTO: AFP
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PARIS – Paralympic superstar Beatrice “Bebe” Vio was denied gold for a second time on Sept 5 as Italy had to settle for a wheelchair fencing team bronze medal, while the United States cruised into the final of the men’s wheelchair basketball tournament.
Two-time individual champion Vio was defeated by China’s Xiao Rong in their women’s foil semi-final on Sept 4 in one of the biggest shocks of these Games.
The Italian, who uses prosthetic arms having had all four limbs amputated as a child when she contracted meningitis, managed to salvage a bronze in that event.
“We’ll make it again, I mean tomorrow we have to make it, at this point it’s OK for the Chinese to win once, but not twice,” she had said.
“So tomorrow we have the Chinese in the semi-finals again, the team, and we’re going for it.”
However, Vio’s hopes of taking advantage of a second opportunity to win gold in the team event were dashed as Italy lost 45-41 to China in a hard-fought semi-final.
The Chinese went on to clinch gold with a 45-34 win over Hungary, while the Italians won the bronze by beating Hong Kong 45-33 and Vio congratulated her teammates in her customary euphoric style.
But, despite increasing her overall Paralympic medal haul to six, which includes one gold each from Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016, these Games have undoubtedly been a disappointment for the 27-year-old.
There was no immediate comment from Vio after her latest setback but she did say after her individual defeat that every medal, no matter the colour, should be cherished.
“It’s a medal won, it’s a great thing, you should never give up on a medal, absolutely,” she said.
Another global face of the Paralympic movement, Oksana Masters, won her second gold in Paris as the Ukrainian-born US cyclist took the H5 road race title.
The 35-year-old now has nine Paralympic golds across cycling, biathlon and cross-country skiing.
In other sports, the US men’s wheelchair basketball team easily beat Canada 80-43 to set up a final against Britain on Sept 7. The reigning champions never looked in trouble against 2012 champions Canada as Brian Bell hit 31 points to lead all scorers.
The British showed they have the firepower to challenge the Americans as they reached the final for the first time since 1996 by defeating Germany 71-43, thanks to an outstanding 35-point performance from sharp-shooting Gregg Warburton.
French President Emmanuel Macron was in the crowd at the Stade de France to watch the athletics action, as Australian double amputee Vanessa Low bettered her own world record to 5.45 metres in the women’s T63 long jump.
Australian double amputee Vanessa Low bettered her own world record to 5.45 metres in the women’s T61 long jump.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Wheelchair tennis enjoyed two historic moments.
Yui Kamiji and Manami Tanaka became the first Japanese women to win a Paralympic gold in the event by defeating Diede de Groot and Aniek van Koot 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 10-8 at Roland Garros to end the Netherlands’ run of eight successive titles.
Earlier, Guo Luoyao and Wang Ziying won a first-ever Paralympics wheelchair tennis medal for China when they took the women’s doubles bronze by defeating compatriots Li Xiaohui and Zhu Zhenzhen 7-6 (7-4), 6-3.
In sitting volleyball, the 2.46m Morteza Mehrzad played a key role as Iran beat Egypt 3-1 in the semi-finals to earn a return to the final where they will face Bosnia as they attempt to win a third straight title.
Ukraine, meanwhile, claimed a gold and two bronzes as judo action began.
Nataliya Nikolaychuk, 37, won the women’s -48kg J1 for athletes with partial sight, while Anzhela Havrysiuk clinched a bronze in the women’s -57kg J1 class.
Davyd Khorava also earned a bronze for the war-torn country in the men’s -60kg J2. AFP
