Out of the six athletes in total, only three athletes from the Alpes-Maritimes were present on the various fields of the Paralympic Games today: David Smétanine, Candyce Chafa, and Christophe Carlier. Here’s a recap of their results.
Para Swimming
David Smétanine will not win his tenth Paralympic medal. At least, not right now. This Friday, in the 100 meters freestyle S4, the Antibes native failed to qualify for the finals. In the heats, he finished fifth in his race with a time of 1’30″36. Overall, he took the tenth place, not sufficient to make it to the finals. At 49, Smétanine is competing in his last Games. Partially quadriplegic following a car accident, he competed against much younger para-swimmers, like Italian Federico Cristiani and Canadian Sebastian Massabie, both 19 years old. In the finals, it was the Israeli swimmer Ami Omer Dadaon who won the gold.
Para Rowing
The first day of competition at the Vaires-sur-Marne aquatic stadium was disrupted by the weather this Friday. The organizers decided to interrupt the program due to a heavy storm, accompanied by violent thunderclaps, which broke out late in the morning. However, the relay of Candyce Chafa from Cannes managed to dodge the showers by qualifying for the final scheduled for Sunday. They placed 2nd in their heat, behind the Americans. The best time in the heats was achieved by the British, setting a new world record at 6’43″68.
Wheelchair Basketball
The French wheelchair basketball team, led by the Cagne-based Christophe Carlier, held their own against Canada during their opening match at Bercy. Ahead at halftime (41-39), then still in contention before the final quarter, they eventually had to concede defeat with a score of 68-83. To hope for a place in the quarter-finals, they will need to significantly raise their game. Upcoming matches: Germany, tomorrow at 9:30 PM, followed by Great Britain, on Monday at 7:15 PM.
