- Two silvers and a bronze clinched at the Paralympic Games
Niko Kappel snatched the second silver medal of the day at the Paris Paralympic Games, falling short of gold by 13.74 meters to Bobirjon Omonov from Uzbekistan (14.32 meters). Despite being the initial gold contender and having achieved a season-best throw of 15.07 meters and a world record earlier, Kappel, the world champion in shot put, stumbled this time.
Previously, triathlete Max Gelhaar clinched silver, and Thomas Wandschneider celebrated bronze. The 26-year-old Gelhaar, who battles with half-sided spastic paralysis, finished second in 1:08:43 hours to Spain's Daniel Molina on the iconic Pont Alexandre III bridge. The race had to be postponed at the last minute on Sunday morning due to poor water quality in the Seine.
First-ever Paralympic medal for a German badminton player
Senior athlete Wandschneider also achieved his medal dream with a 2-0 victory over South Korea's Jaegun Jeong. The first game was nail-bitingly close (26-24), but the second game in Arena Porte de la Chapelle was more dominant with a score of 21-11.
As national coach Christopher Skrzeba remarked, "With the tailwind in the second game, it was almost a certainty. We've seen Thomas – he never gives up without a fight." It marks the first Paralympic medal for a German athlete in badminton.
After securing a silver medal at the Paris Paralympic Games, Niko Kappel inspired another German athlete to achieve their medal dream. In the badminton tournament, senior athlete Thomas Wandschneider claimed a victory, securing a silver medal just like Kappel in Paris.
