Day 10: Paralympic Games preview

With two days to go for the end of the Paralympic Games, 55 gold medals will be contested on the 10th day of competitions. 

Preliminary league matches will be held in boccia, para badminton and some taekwondo divisions. Swimming and archery programme will come to an end.

ARCHERY

Timing: 10:00 - 13:45 JST and 17:30 - 21:21 JST

The Men’s Individual Recurve Open will reach its culmination on what will be the penultimate day of competitions in archery.

Watch out for Suresh Selvathamby (MAL). The Malaysian made his World Championships debut in ’s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands in 2019 while ranked 35 in the world and left the competition with a gold medal in the men’s recurve open and the world No.1 ranking. Tokyo 2020 will be his first Paralympic Games.

Harvinder Singh (IND) is another one to watch out for. India's top Para archer became a household name after winning gold at the 2018 Asian Para Games, which has inspired him to set higher goals: qualify for Tokyo 2020 and climb onto the Paralympic podium for the first time. However, an indifferent performance in the ranking round in which he finished 21st means he will have to be at his best to cross the hurdles to the podium in his Paralympics debut.

ATHLETICS

Timing: 9:30 - 12:51 JST and 19:00 - 21:40 JST

There will be 17 finals at the National Olympic Stadium, eight in the morning and nine in the afternoon.

The competition will start with the women’s shot put F12. Italy’s Assunta Legnante is one of the favourites for the gold medal alongside Uzbekistan’s Safiya Burkhanova. Legnante, famous for her eye masks, is the back-to-back Paralympic champion and a three-time world champion. She competed at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and was European indoor champion in 2007 before losing her sight. Burkhanova will compete in Tokyo as the world record holder and the silver medallist from the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. She has finished second at the London 2017 and Dubai 2019 World Championships.

Mexico’s Rebeca Valenzuela Alvarez won bronze at Rio 2016 and also finished third in the last three World Championships. RPC’s Nadezhda Burkova leads the rankings in 2021 with a result set at the Dubai Grand Prix in February. Lydia Church from Great Britain is the second-best this year with an attempt from the competition in Coventry in April.

In the women’s long jump T47, New Zealand’s Anna Grimaldi will be defending her Paralympic title from Rio 2016. She won silver at the Dubai 2019 Worlds and set the best result of the year in February at a competition in New Zealand. Ecuador’s Kiara Rodriguez is a star in the making. The 18-year-old beat Grimaldi for gold at Dubai 2019 and lies in second place in the 2021 rankings with a mark set in Monterrey, Mexico, in June.

RPC’s Aleksandra Moguchaia took the bronze in Dubai two years ago and has recently won gold at the Bydgoszcz 2021 European Championships with the third-best result of the season.

In the Men’s javelin throw F54, the defending Paralympic champion Manolis Stefanoudakis will go up against the reigning world champion Hamed Amiri from Iran.

Greece's Stefanoudakis is the two-time world champion from Doha 2015 and London 2017. He won his last international title at the Bydgoszcz 2021 Euros setting the third-best mark of the year.

Amiri is ahead of Stefanoudakis in the rankings. He set his season-best result at the Dubai World Para Athletics Grand Prix in February.

The leading shot putter in the F54 class in 2021 is the USA’s Justin Phongsavanh. He set the result at the US National Trials in Minneapolis in June.

The men’s 1500m T20 will be the first track final on day eight. World record holder Michael Brannigan from the USA will compete as the reigning Paralympic champion and a world champion from London 2017. Poland’s Daniel Pek will also be eyeing Paralympic gold after taking silver in London 2012 and Rio 2016. He is a two-time World Championships medallist and a European titleholder from Grosseto 2016. RPC’s Aleksandr Rabotnitskii emerged as the T20 force in the last two years. He won gold at the Dubai 2019 Worlds and Bydgoszcz 2021 Euros. Rabotnitskii is the second-fastest man in the event in 2021 behind Japan’s Daiki Akai. He set the season-best time at a competition in Kagawa in April.

In the women’s 1500m T20, Poland’s Barbara Bieganowska-Zajac was the main favourite to top the podium until June when she lost the European Championships gold on home soil to Ukraine’s Liudmyla Danylina. The two will be in action in Tokyo with Bieganowska-Zajac targeting a third consecutive Paralympic gold. She is also the world record holder and four-time world champion in the race. Bieganowska-Zajac suffered a defeat on home soil in June this year at the European Championships. Ukraine’s Liudmyla Danylina took gold, while the Polish athlete had to settle for silver. Danylina is the bronze medallist from Rio 2016 and a two-time silver medallist at the World Championships (London 2017 and Dubai 2019). Hungary’s Ilona Biacsi is another medal contender as the silver medallist from Rio 2016 and bronze medallist from the London 2012 Paralympics.

Brazil’s Joao Victor Teixeira is the reigning world champion in the men’s discus throw F37 and will be keen to take the Paralympic medal that he missed at the homes Games in Rio five years ago. Teixeira has the second-best mark of 2021 from the National Trials in Sao Paulo in June. Ukraine’s Mykola Zhabnyak is the ranking leader with a throw that gave him his first major international title at the European Championships in Bydgoszcz also in June. Pakistan’s Haider Ali and Australia’s Guy Henly will also compete in Tokyo. Ali is the silver medallist from Dubai 2019 Worlds, while Henly has three World Championships medals to his name.

Hosts Japan will be hoping for gold in the men’s high jump T64. Toru Suzuki is the world record holder and the second-best jumper this year. He took bronze at the Dubai 2019 Worlds. Great Britain’s Jonathan Broom-Edwards was the winner in Dubai and will be Suzuki’s biggest rival in Tokyo. Temurbek Giyazov from Uzbekistan won silver in Dubai and will also pose a threat.

The last medal event of the morning session will the men’s 100m T52. USA’s Gianfranco Iannotta and Raymond Martin will fight for medals against Japanese sprinters Yuki Oya and Tatsuya Ito.

Iannotta is the reigning Paralympic champion and the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games champion. He is the fourth-fastest man this year with a time set at the US National Trials.

Martin set the best time in 2021 at the same competition. He won the gold medal at the London 2012 Paralympics and has four consecutive World Championships titles from 2013 to 2019. The 27-year-old from New Jersey is also the world record holder.

The evening session will begin with the women’s long jump T20.

Poland’s Karolina Kucharczyk has been the dominant force in the event for the last 10 years. She has four European and three World Championships titles. Kucharczyk is the world record holder and the owner of the best result this season. The only thing missing in her CV is the Paralympic gold medal. Kucharzyk had to settle for silver in Rio. Croatia’s Mikela Ristoski will be defending the Paralympic title in Tokyo. She won bronze in London in 2012 and a gold medal when she returned to the British capital in 2017 for the World Championships. RPC’s Aleksandra Ruchkina is coming up through the ranks in the last few years. She won a bronze medal at the Dubai 2019 Worlds and Bydgoszcz 2021 Euros. Ruchkina is the second-best long jumper this year in front with Ristoski in third place.

The women's club throw F51 will have Ukraine’s Zoia Ovsii as the star of the event as the back-to-back world champion and world record holder. Ovsii has one European Championships title to her name from Berlin 2018 but she finished second at the Bydgoszcz 2021. RPC’ Elena Gorlova won the title in Poland and will be one of the biggest rivals for Ovsii in Tokyo. Gorlova won bronze at the Dubai 2019 Worlds behind Ovsii and Great Britain’s Joanna Butterfield, the reigning Paralympic champion, Doha 2015 world champion, and a two-time European Championships winner. She is fourth in the rankings this year with the USA’s Cassie Mitchell sitting in the first place.

The men’s shot put F57 is next on the schedule with Brazil’s Thiago Paulino Dos Santos in the spotlight. He is the world record holder and back-to-back world champion. Paulino set the best result of the season at the National Trials in June. His compatriot Marco Aurelio Borges won second place at the same competition and is currently the second-best shot putter in 2021. China’s Guoshan Wu will be defending his Paralympic title from Rio five years ago. He won three World Championships medals in the period from 2015 to 2019 but failed to take the gold medal. Poland’s Janusz Rokicki has finished with a silver medal in the last two Paralympic Games. He has one World Championships gold and has been European champion three times in a row.

The women’s 100m T64 will be one of the highlights of the day. Fleur Jong from the Netherlands is the reigning European champion and set a new world record in Bydgoszcz in the T62 class. Her compatriot and friend Marlene van Gansewinkel won silver in Bydgoszcz. She is the fastest woman in 2021 with a world record to her name in the T64 class. Van Gansewinkel won gold at the Berlin 2018 Euros and silver at the Dubai 2019 Worlds.

Germany’s Irmgard Bensusan is the reigning world champion and the silver medallist from the last Paralympics in Rio.

USA’s Femita Ayanbeku and Beatriz Hatz sit in second and third place in the rankings this year after their performance at the US National Trials in Minneapolis.

In the javelin F46, New Zealand’s Holly Robinson is the world record holder and the best javelin thrower in 2021. She won the silver medal at the Rio 2016 Paralympics. Great Britain’s Hollie Arnold is the defending Paralympic champion and the four-time world champion. She added one European title from Berlin 2018 to her CV. She is third in the rankings this year behind Robinson and Venezuela’s Naibys Daniela Morillo. Dutch star Noelle Roorda is the new face in the women’s javelin F46. She comes to Tokyo with extra motivation after her first major championships gold at the Bydgoszcz 2021 Euros in June. Germany’s Johannes Floors is the favourite to triumph in the men’s 400m T62. He is the reigning world champion from Dubai and European champion from Berlin in 2018. Floors are also the world record holder.

Teenage talent Olivier Hendriks from the Netherlands will most likely be the main threat for Floors in Tokyo. Hendriks is the reigning European champion and a silver medallist from the Dubai 2019 Worlds and Berlin 2018 Euros.

Next up will be the men’s 200m T61 with Germany’s Ali Lacin as the second-fastest man this year and the first favourite for gold. USA’s Luis Puertas set the third-best time in 2021 at the US National Trials in June.

The last individual final of the day will be the men’s 100m T51. Peter Genyn from Belgium and Toni Piispanen from Finland are expected to battle for the gold medal. Piispanen triumphed at the London 2012 Paralympics with Genyn taking the win four years later in Rio de Janeiro. Genyn is also the world record holder with the second-fastest time this year, while Piispanen lies in third place in the rankings. Genyn and Piispanen both have two World Championships titles with Genyn winning one more European Championships than his rival. However, it was Piispanen who triumphed the last time they met in Bydgoszcz in June.

Algeria's Mohamed Berrahal is another name to watch out for in the men’s 100m T51. He is the bronze medallist from London 2012 and a silver medallist from Rio 2016. His collection also includes three World Championships medals but no major gold to his name so far.

The 4 x 100m universal relay will be the last final of the day. The competition makes its Paralympic debut and it was part of the World Championships for the first time in Dubai 2019. The USA took gold at the Worlds with China in second. But the Chinese team has the world record. RPC is the reigning European champion from Bydgoszcz.

BADMINTON

Timing: 9:00 - 21:00 JST

Preliminary group stage matches will continue in all categories throughout the day.

Watch out for Liu Yutong (CHN), the 15-year-old when she rose to world No. 1 in the women’s singles WH2. She beat compatriot Li Hongyan 21-12, 21-11 in the 2019 Worlds final, as well as claiming gold in the women’s doubles alongside Menglu Yin. Liu’s remarkable talent was seen in 2017 when she captured her first World Championships title in the singles category. In 2018, she won two gold medals at the Asian Para Games in Jakarta, Indonesia – the women’s singles WH2 and the mixed doubles WH1-2 with Qu Zimo.

BOCCIA

Timing: 9:30 - 1:55 JST and 14:25 - 19:35 JST

Preliminary round matches will continue in Team and Pairs sections in BC1-C2, BC3, and BC4 sections. Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Great Britain are in contention for the knockout stages.

CANOE SPIRINT

Timing: 9:30 - 12:25 JST

Semifinal rounds involving all those that had finished second to fourth in their heats will be conducted leading to finals. Four gold medals will be decided on Friday.

Watch out for Australia’s  Curtis McGrath in Men's Kayak Single 200m - KL2. He has topped his heat and has already qualified for the final. McGrath topped the podium in men’s KL2 as canoeing made its Paralympic debut at the Rio 2016 Games. The 33-year-old will defend his title in Tokyo as well as competing in the men’s VL3, which is in the Games programme for the first time. McGrath, who lost his legs in 2012 while serving his country as a combat engineer in Afghanistan, will be the man to beat in both disciplines having won the world title four times in KL2 and twice in VL3.

Hungary’s Peter Kiss is the favourite in the men’s KL1 having topped the heats with a Paralympic Best Timing of 48.058 on Thursday. He announced his emergence as a rising star by claiming gold in the 2019 world championships aged 16.

Great Britain topped the sport's medal table at Rio 2016 with five, including three golds and a silver in the women’s events. Expect them to repeat their act in Tokyo too.

CYCLING ROAD

Timing: 9:30 - 13:18 JST

Four finals will be held at the Fuji International Speedway. Watch out for China’s Qian Wangwei in Women’s C1-3 Road Race. She has already won a bronze in Tokyo in the women's 500 metres time trial C1–3 event and will be hoping to add a gold to her tally.

Australia’s Paige Greco is another top contender. She has already won a gold medal in Pursuit C1–3 and bronze in Road Time Trial C1–3 in Tokyo 2020. At the 2019 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, Emmen, Netherlands, she won the gold medal in the Women's Time Trial C3 and fifth in the Women's Road Race C3. At the 2020 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships, Milton, Ontario, she won the gold medal in the Women's Individual Pursuit C3.

Bronze medallist in Men's Road Time Trial C4 at Tokyo 2020, Great Britain’s George Peasgood is a multiple-time medallist in Paratriathlon National Championships.Cody Jung of the United States is another medal contender.

Australia’s Alistair Donohoe is another top contender for a medal in this race. Silver medallist in Individual pursuit C5 and bronze medallist in Road Time Trial C5 at Tokyo 2020, he had won a silver medal in Individual Pursuit C5 and another silver in Road Time Trial C5.

GOALBALL

Timing: Matches at 13:15, 15:00, 17:45 and 19:30 JST

Both the men’s and women’s finals will be played on the same day with the United States taking on Turkey in the women’s final and Brazil meeting China in the Men’s final. Turkey is the reigning women’s gold medallist while the United States was had won bronze in Rio 2016. The US will be hoping to upstage Turkey in the final.

In the men’s section, Brazil caused a big upset by beating 2016 gold medallist Lithuania in the semifinals while China had it easy against the USA men’s team winning 8-1.

SHOOTING

Timing: 9:30 - 15:15 JST

Two finals will be held -- men’s and women’s 50m Rifle 3-position -- with the qualification rounds in the morning.

Serbia's Laslo Suranji, the gold medallist in Rio 2016 is the fray again as is the silver medallist Abdullah Sultan Alaryani and bronze winner Doran Shaziri of Israel. Suranji had not done well in the 10m Mixed 10m air rifle prone SH1 though.

In the women’s event, Slokavia’s Veronika Vadovicova is the world record holder while China’s Zhang Cuiping set the Paralympic Games record in 2016 after winning the gold and leaving the Czech with the silver.

WATCH OUT FOR: 

Cuiping Zhang (CHN) 

Now nearly 20 years into her career, Zhang has won virtually every title up for grabs in the sport. She has medaled at every Paralympic Games since being recruited for the Chinese national team ahead of Beijing 2008 and won two gold medals each at London 2012 and Rio 2016. Her most recent Paralympic success saw her win titles in the R6 (mixed 50m rifle prone SH1) and R8 (women’s 50m sport rifle 3 positions SH1).  Zhang is responsible for nearly one-quarter of all of China’s 36 shooting Para sport medals, with nine (4 golds, 3 silvers, 2 bronze) over three Paralympic Games, establishing World and Paralympic records along the way. 

SITTING VOLLEYBALL

Timing: Matches at 13:30, 15:30, 18:30 and 20:20 JST

Two semifinals in the women’s section will be held with the United States, China, and Brazil, the three medallists in this order in 2016, are back in the fray with China and Brazil hoping to improve their medals. The USA, which had won silver in the World Championships in 2018 is the favourite to retain their title. Canada has caused some upsets to reach the semis and therefore would be hoping to continue their run into the final.

SWIMMING

Timing: 9:00 - 11:04 JST and 17:00 =- 20:03 JST

The curtain will come down on swimming competitions at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre with 16 finals closing the programme.

The finals with the men’s 200m individual medley SM10 with Ukraine’s Maksym Krypak again the favourite for gold in his class as the reigning world and European champion. He set the season-best result at the Madeira 2020 European Championships in May.

Italy’s Stefano Raimondi is the second-fastest man in 2021 also with a time set in Madeira where he had to settle for silver. It was a repeat of the London 2019 World Championships final with Krypak first and Raimondi second. Tokyo will be the chance for the Italian to change his fortune.

The women’s 200m individual medley SM10 final is a completely different story. Dutch duo Lisa Kruger and Chantalle Zijderveld have been swapping podium places in major championships.

Kruger took gold at the Dublin 2018 Europeans with Zijderveld. A year later, it was the opposite outcome at the London 2019 World Championships. Kruger also has the best time of the year with a result from a National competition in Amersfoort in late July.

Zijderveld lies fourth in the 2021's ranking. Hungary’s Bianka Pap is the second-fastest this year from the race that gave her the European title at Madeira 2020 in May. Pap is also the Rio 2016 bronze medallist and a two-time World Championships medallist. Other names who can make it to the podium are Australia’s Jasmine Greenwood and Canada’s Aurelie Rivard. Greenwood is the third-fastest Para swimmer this year, while Rio 2016 silver medallist Rivard appears in fifth.

Next up will be the men’s 100m backstrokes S6 final with Croatia’s Dino Sinovcic, the reigning world champion from London in 2019 and a silver medallist from Madeira in May this year, as the top contender. He also has a gold medal from the Dublin 2018 Euros to his list of accolades. The Split-born Para swimmer is the fourth-fastest this year. Hongguang Jia from China set the best time this year at the Berlin World Series in June. Argentina’s Matias de Andrade finished second in the same race setting the second-fastest time of 2021.

In the women’s 100m backstroke S6 final, China’s Lingling Song is the defending Paralympic champion and the world record holder. After the Paralympic crown in 2016, she won gold at the Mexico City 2017 Worlds and silver at the London 2019 Worlds. Germany’s Verena Schott defeated Song to the world title in 2019. A year before she triumphed at the Dublin 2018 Euros, but had to settle for a silver medal in Madeira in May. She is the third-fastest woman this year behind USA’s Elizabeth Marks in first and Switzerland’s Nora Meister in second place. Marks set her season-best time at the US National Trials in Minneapolis, while Meister did the same at the Madeira 2020 Euros where she won her first international gold in the event.

Greece’s Dimosthenis Michalentzakis is the favourite for gold in the men’s 100m butterfly S8. He is the reigning world champion and back-to-back European champion. Like many other European Para swimmers, he set his fastest time at the Euros in Madeira in May and leads the 2021 rankings. He is followed by Italy’s Alberto Amodeo and Mexico’s Luis Alberto Andrade. Amodeo was second at the Madeira 2020 Euros, while Andrade set his fastest time in Cancun in May. China’s Haijiao Xu and Guanglong Yang are also among the top contenders. He is the silver medallist from Rio 2016 Paralympics and the Mexico City 2017 Worlds champion, while Yang won bronze in Rio and silver in Mexico City.

The women’s 100m butterfly S8 will be the last event for USA's Jessica Long in Tokyo. She is a two-time Paralympic champion from Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012. She added a bronze medal to her list at the Rio 2016 Paralympics. Long is also a five-time world champion and the owner of the fastest time this year. She set it at the Lewisville World Series in April. RPC’s Viktoriia Ishchiulova is the second-fastest woman in 2021 setting her season-best at the Madeira 2020 Euros. Alejandra Aybar, Dominican Republic’s first-ever Para swimmer to participate at the Paralympic Games, will take part in the morning heats hoping to qualifying for the final in her third and final appearance in Tokyo.

The men’s 50m butterfly S7 will put USA's London 2019 world champion Evan Austin head to head with Ukraine's Andrii Trusov, the European champion and fastest swimmer so far this year. Austin is second in the ranking. Colombia’s Carlos Serrano is the third on the 2021 list. He is a two-time Parapan American Games champion, world champion from Mexico City in 2017, and a bronze medallist from London 2019. Two-time Paralympic silver medallist and three-time World Championships medallist, Ukraine’s Yevhenii Bohodaiko is the fourth fastest this season. His best result in the 50m butterfly came at the Montreal 2013 World Championships where he topped the podium.

USA’s Mallory Weggemann has shown the best run of form in the women’s 50m butterfly S7 recently. She is the world record holder and the reigning world champion from London 2019. The 32-year-old released a book this year about her life and how she overcame adversity to become a Paralympian. She also found time to set the fastest result in the season at the US National Trials in June.

Czech Republic’s Arnost Petracek has high hopes for the men’s 50m backstroke S4. He is the defending Paralympic champion, two-time European titleholder, and world champion from the Mexico City 2017 Worlds. Petracek is the second-fastest in the event this year with the RPC’s Roman Zhdanov sitting in the first place. Zhdanov is the world record holder and reigning European champion. He also has a bronze from the London 2019 Worlds.

The women’s 50m backstroke S4 is most likely going to be a duel between Alexandra Stamatopoulou from Greece and Ukraine’s Maryna Verbova. Stamatopoulou is the reigning back-to-back European champion and the second-fastest woman in the event this year. She also has a silver medal from the London 2019 Worlds where Verbova took gold. The Ukrainian Para swimmer appears in third place in this year’s rankings.

The men’s 100m butterfly S12 will be up next and it will be hard to appoint a favourite to gold with so many strong candidates. Great Britain’s Stephen Clegg is the world record holder and the fastest man in 2021. He won a silver medal at the London 2019 Worlds and a bronze medal at the Dublin 2018 Euros. The only thing missing from his list is the international gold.

Clegg’s main rivals in Tokyo will be two brothers competing for two different countries. Dzmitry Salei from Belarus took gold at the Madeira 2020 Europeans in May with Azerbaijan’s Raman Salei in second. They have the second and third best times this year, respectively.

In the women’s 100m freestyle S11, Dutch Para swimmer Liesette Bruinsma is the world record holder and the fastest in the race at the moment. Her impressive CV includes gold medals at the Dublin 2018 European and the London 2019 Worlds, alongside her Rio 2016 Paralympic bronze. China’s Guizhi Li was silver in Rio de Janeiro and grabbed a bronze at London 2019. Li’s compatriot Jia Ma is the third-fastest in 2021. USA’s 17-year-old Anastasia Pagonis squeezed in between Bruinsma and Jia in second place. The newcomer set her fastest time at the US National Trials in Minneapolis in June. RPC’s Sofiia Polikarpova is the reigning European champion and fourth in the rankings this year.

The last freestyle race at Tokyo 2020 will be the men’s 200m in the S3 class. Ukraine’s Denys Ostapchenko is the fastest man this year and the reigning European champion from Madeira in May. He has a silver medal from the London 2019 World Championships. Mexico’s Jesus Hernandez is second in the rankings, while his compatriot Diego Lopez Diaz sits in third. They have both set their season-best at the Berlin World Series in June. Lopez Diaz is the current world champion in the event.

Italy’s Monica Boggioni tops the ranking in the women’s 200m individual medley SM5. She set her best time in July at a competition in Naples. Japan’s Maori Yui has the second-best result this season while Natalia Shavel from Belarus is third.

The last individual event at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will be the men’s 100m butterfly S11. The home crowd will be cheering for Keiichi Kimura and Uchi Tomita, the two fastest Para swimmers in the event this year. Kimura has much more international success than his compatriot. The 30-year-old from Ritta is a two-time world champion and a two-time Paralympic medallist. He has a bronze medal from London in 2012 and a silver medal from Rio 2016. Ukraine’s Viktor Smyrnov is another medal candidate as the reigning European champion from Madeira. Rogier Dorsman from the Netherlands is third in the rankings in 2021. He set his season-best at the Berlin World Series in June.

The men's 4x100m medley relay 34 pts will close the Para-swimming programme at Tokyo 2020. Team RPC is the favourite for gold as the reigning world and European champion but China will be defending their Rio 2016 title. Italy will also come strong as the World and European Championships silver medallist.

TABLE TENNIS

Timing: 10:00 - 15:30 JST and 17:00 - 21:00 JST

Five finals will be held on the last day of table tennis action. The five-team competition finals with men’s and women’s Classes 9-10 and in Women’s Classes 4-5. the men’s Classes 1-2 Gold medal match will have France taking on South Korea. China will figure in three of the five finals and should be the favourite to win all three. Australian teams figure in two finals and look favourite to win the Women’s Team Classes 9-10 final against Poland.

TAEKWONDO

Timing: 10:00 -15:00 JST and 17:00 -= 22:00 JST

Competitions will be held in women’s 58kg and men’s 75kg -- from Round of 16 to gold medal.

Watch out for Egypt’s Abohegazy Salma

Since winning a silver medal in the 58kg K44 division at the 2019 African Open Para-Taekwondo Championship, the 18-year-old Salma has emerged as one of the most exciting up-and-coming fighters to keep your eye on in the coming years. She claimed her berth at Tokyo in 2019 by winning the African qualifying championship. She had knocked off USA’s No. 2 Brianna Salinaro on her way to a surprise silver medal in the women’s up to 58kg K44 in her first international competition.

WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL

Timing: Matches at 12:30, 15:00, 18:15 and 20:45 JST

The United States take on Spain in a repeat of the Rio 2016 final and hosts Japan meet 2016 bronze medallists Great Britain in the men’s semifinals.

The USA is the four-time champion and are also the defending champions, having won the title in 2016 beating Spain 68-52. Japan has never figured in the final and would be hoping to start a new chapter in the home Paralympics.

WHEELCHAIR TENNIS

Timing: Matches start from 10:00 JST

The Women’s singles final and the men’s doubles gold are the main matches of the day. The women’s singles final has Dutch legend Diede de Groot, the top seed, taking on Japan’s second-seeded Yui Kamiji. Though de Groot enjoys a 22-15 head-to-head advantage, the Japanese star will have extra motivation in winning the final in the Paralympics. It will also deny de Groot the opportunity to complete a Golden Slam having won all the four Grand Slam singles titles.

Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid are the top seeds and will meet second seeds Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer in the men's doubles final.

Due to rain, the quad singles bronze medal was also rescheduled for this Friday. The Dutch Niels Vink faces local athlete Koji Sugeno.