Story highlights
Paralympics run from September 7-18
First time event held in South America
A searingly hot day six of the Rio 2016 Paralympics saw 54 gold medals awarded – here are six of the day’s highlights.
READ: Nine Paralympians to watch at Rio
1, 2, 3 for USA in 1500m
Team USA scooped a hat-trick of medals in the women’s 1500m T54, for athletes with spinal chord injuries who use a wheelchair in track events.
The category includes 14-time world champion Tatyana McFadden, who dominated the race to push her way to a career fifth Paralympic gold medal in a Paralympic record time of 3:22.50.
She was closely followed by US teammates Amanda McGrory, who won silver in 3:22.61, and Chelsea McClammer, who took the bronze in 3:22.67.
Adding Tuesday’s win to her 400m gold and 100m silver, McFadden is on a mission to win seven medals at Rio. Having set two personal bests in three of the finals she has contested, it’s going to take a champion to stop her.
A very long, hot game of tennis
Four very hot, very thirsty wheelchair tennis players emerged from the men’s quad doubles bronze match between Israel and Great Britain.
Israel’s Itai Erenlib and Shraga Weinberg battled against GB’s Jamie Burdekin and Andy Lapthorpe in sweltering 107.6 Farenheit heat (42C) for four hours and 25 minutes – the longest wheelchair tennis match in Paralympic history.
Finally it was the British pair who won the bronze medal, beating the Israelis 3-6 6-4 7-6 (7-2).
READ: Four Paralympians beat Olympic winning time in 1500m
“Anyone who comes out and says I haven’t got the stamina, I proved them wrong today,” Lapthorpe told UK broadcaster Channel 4.
“He dragged me through hell,” said his partner Burdekin. “That’s the hottest I’ve ever played in,” added the former Marine, who said that he used the breaks to stick his head in the bathroom sink.
Lapthorpe will have to cool himself down and recover quickly – he plays in the quad singles gold medal match against Australia’s Dylan Alcott Wednesday.
From mayor to medalist
Edgar Cesareo Navarro Sánchez knows a thing or two about pressure.
From 2009-2012 he was mayor of his municipality, Nezahualcóyotl. With a population of 1.1 million, that’s a lot of people to try and keep happy.
However, entering his T51 100m final Tuesday he had the pressure of making 200 million Mexicans happy – and he didn’t disappoint, recording a season’s best of 21.96s to win bronze, Mexico’s eighth medal of the Paralympics.
The 45-year-old was left quadriplegic after being shot in the neck.
Belgium’s Peter Genyn, a former wheelchair rugby player, won gold and Mohamed Berrahal of Algeria took silver.
UAE hero
Powerlifter Mohammed Khalaf won the United Arab Emirates’ first medal of this Paralympics by clinching gold in the -88 kg competition.
Khalaf raised 220 kg on his second attempt, a feat unmatched by Brazil’s Evanio da Silva and Mongolia’s Sodnompiljee Enkhbayar, who both lifted 210 kg to win silver and bronze respectively.
It’s not the first time the 47-year-old Emirati has made his country proud – he won gold in the -82.5 kg competition at Athens 2004, the UAE’s first in Paralympic sport.
And at Beijing 2008, the powerlifter – who lost the use of both legs after contracting Polio as a child – pushed through injury to win silver in the -90 kg event.
With his second gold, Khalaf’s Paralympic total is now more than the Olympic record of his entire country – the UAE’s only other title was one by Ahmed Al Maktoum in the men’s double trap shooting at Athens 2004.
Double delight for GB’s Hermitage
British runner Georgina Hermitage won her second gold of Rio 2016 with a dominant display in the T37 400m final.
The 27-year-old blew away the rest of the field to record a world-record time of 1:00.43.
She now holds the world record in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 4x100m relay.
After giving up on athletics aged 14 and taking a 10-year hiatus, Hermitage was convinced to resume her athletics career following a conversation with her husband after being inspired by London 2012.
Hermitage is now a double Paralympic champion, having already won T37 100m gold in Rio, setting another world record in the process.
Paralympic legend to retire at 28
Australian athlete Evan O’Hanlon is set to retire following his first ever competitive defeat, citing a lack of funding as his principle reason.
The 28-year-old, who won T38 100m and 200m gold at Beijing and London, as well as 4x100m gold eight years ago, was beaten by China’s Jianwen Hu in a world record time.
Despite believing he could bounce back to reclaim his title in Tokyo, O’Hanlon is now putting family first.
“That’s probably the last time I’m going to be out there competing at a Paralympics or at all at a major event,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“I got married earlier in the year and I want to have a family and I can’t afford to care and support them by continuing in the sport because of the funding we get.
“It’s a real shame because I know I could come back in Tokyo and win gold but I can’t put my family through that.”
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O’Hanlon is also due to run in the 400m, but a calf injury may prevent him from competing.
