- The pot has returned to its valuable metallic state.
The collection of medals is now complete, but Niko Kappel doesn't find solace in this reality. Instead of the second Paralympic gold, the diminutive shot putter of VfB Stuttgart had to settle for silver at the Paris Games. In Tokyo three years ago, he clinched bronze, and in 2016, he was invincible in Rio de Janeiro. At this year's event, as the world champion, Kappel aimed for the pinnacle. However, his furthest throw in Paris only spanned 13.74 meters, earning him the second spot.
"I'd go as far as to say I surrendered gold," stated the Swabian. "That wasn't at all what I had intended. It sounds absurd because I still walked away with silver, but just a few centimeters were out of reach."
A crowd of 58 spectators
58, to be precise. Before the competition, Uzbek Bobirjon Omonov was identified as the primary threat. In the end, he hurled the shot put to 14.32 meters. Despite this, the 29-year-old Kappel had thrown a staggering 15.07 meters this season, setting a world record.
"I barely made it into the competition. I have to accept that first," he admitted, looking visibly disappointed. Kappel did manage a smile when discussing his 58-strong fan base at the Stade de France, who had crafted a T-shirt and vocally backed their protege. "I felt at home here - a remarkable atmosphere. Unfortunately, I couldn't capitalize on it."
A new pot with the second medal within a day
Swimmer Josia Tim Alexander Topf garnered two medals within 24 hours. Following his gold medal triumph in the 150-meter butterfly swim on Sunday, he claimed silver in the 50-meter backstroke. "I can't put it into words. It's unbelievable and I still can't believe it," said the 21-year-old with a limb disability. "It's simply perfect."
There were also congratulations from Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who was in attendance. "She told me: fantastic performance. It was a delightful, unexpected encounter," Topf recalled.
Carried by "Thomas, Thomas" chants in the Arena Porte de la Chapelle, Thomas Wandschneider delivered a blockbuster performance. The veteran badminton player achieved his lifelong dream of a medal by winning 2:0 in sets against Japan's Jaegun Jeong in the bronze medal match, securing Germany's first-ever medal in this sport.
"I've always had this dream that I could do it, and I actually did it. And the most unexpected thing is that I did it at almost 61 years old. It's already bad enough that I have to educate the youngsters about how it's done over 60," said the quadriplegic Wandschneider.
Three medals for triathletes
Earlier, triathlete Max Gelhaar had secured silver. Later, German flag bearer Martin Schulz and Anja Renner rounded off a splendid day for triathletes with bronze medals at the historic Pont Alexandre III bridge.
Niko Kappel expressed his disappointment despite earning a silver medal in the Triathlon event, sharing that he came close to winning gold but fell short by a few centimeters. The triumphant triathletes included Max Gelhaar, who secured silver, followed by German flag bearer Martin Schulz and Anja Renner who clinched bronze medals.
