Hunter Woodhall wins Paralympic Games and becomes gold medalist together with his wife: ‘Full of emotions’

PARIS (AP) — A month later Tara Davis-Woodhall’s Olympic title in the long jump, her husband Hunter Woodhall, a double amputee, won his own Paralympic gold medal at the Stade de France on Friday.

Davis-Woodhall’s rush to the stands for a celebratory hug from her husband became a viral moment during the Olympics, and this time the roles switched during the Paralympics.

Woodhall won the T62 400m in 46.36 seconds, leaving German Johannes Floors for silver in 46.90 and Dutchman Oliver Hendricks for bronze in 46.91.

Woodhall, who raced for the able-bodied track team in college at Arkansas, also won a bronze medal as part of the U.S. 4×100 all-purpose relay team. This comes a year after he failed to reach the starting line at the Para World Championships because his prosthetics malfunctioned.

“This is like a fever dream,” Woodhall said. “I’m so full of emotions right now. It’s so incredible. I waited so long and went through so much stress and worry to achieve this. When I crossed the line I thought, ‘Am I really first this time or am I still dreaming?’

Yui Kamiji won the women’s wheelchair tennis match Paralympic Games in Paris.

She won the singles final against Dutch favorite Diede De Groot 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at Roland Garros.

The day before, Kamiji won her first gold medal in doubles with Japanese teammate Manami Tanaka. They defeated De Groot and Aniek Van Koot.

“I just can’t describe how big this is,” Kamiji said. “Yesterday, after the doubles match, I was not satisfied. I started thinking about the singles.”

Wheelchair tennis officially became part of the Paralympic Games in 1992. Since then, only Dutch players had won the women’s singles and doubles.

De Groot was champion in both defending champions.

“I’m just really sad that I couldn’t get the gold medal,” she said. “Expectations are high. Unfortunately I couldn’t make it happen.”

Chinese star swimmer Guo Jincheng won a fourth gold medal at these Games.

Guo claimed the S5 50m butterfly in 30.28 seconds, a world and Paralympic record.

Two compatriots completed the podium, Yuan Weiyi and Wang Lichao.

Guo, 23, who has no arms, has gained online recognition for his dolphin-like swimming style, which relies on the strength of his legs.

“I don’t pay much attention to the Internet, especially international websites, so I am very happy that it is being talked about on the Internet,” Guo said. “I am proud that the websites pay attention to me.”

In total, Guo won six medals at these Games and set two world records.

British cyclist Sarah Storey won her 19th gold medal in the women’s C4-5 road race.

Storey, 46, finished just ahead of French teenager Heidi Gaugain in a sprint to the line, as both completed the 71km course in the Paris suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois in 1 hour, 54 minutes and 24 seconds.

“I knew we had a great breakaway, we had built a good lead,” Storey said. “Then Heidi Gaugain attacked with a lap and a half to go. Luckily I speak some French, so I understood what she was saying. So I was ready to attack with her.

“I’m just really happy that my wheel was in front at the finish.”

Colombian Paula Andrea Ossa Veloza was 20 seconds behind for bronze.

Storey won the C5 individual time trial on Wednesday for her 18th Paralympic gold.

She also won the time trial and road race at the Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and London Games, while winning a women’s LC1/LC2/CP4 time trial in Beijing in 2008.

She has won five more Paralympic gold medals on track and more in swimming since winning her first gold in the pool in Barcelona in 1992.

The Paris Games are her ninth Paralympic Games.

China set a world record in the 4×100 universal relay, clocking 45.07 seconds in the final.

It bettered its own previous record of 45.09 from the heats.

The universal 4×100 meters relay is a mixed-gender, mixed-disability race involving two men and two women of different disabilities.

Each team starts with a visually impaired athlete, followed by an amputee sprinter, then an athlete with cerebral palsy, and ends with a wheelchair racer.

The Chinese team consisted of Zhou Guohua, Wang Hao, Wen Xiaoyan and Hu Yang.

Great Britain came second and the United States third.

Iran defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 3-1 in the sitting volleyball final for the second consecutive gold medal.

Iran has won eight Paralympic gold medals in sitting volleyball since its first appearance at the 1988 Games in Seoul.

In the final, Iranian Morteza Mehrzadselakjani was the top scorer with 27 points. Mehrzadselakjani is the the second tallest man in the world at 8 feet-1 (2.46 meters). Even when sitting, he is over 6 feet tall with his arms up.

AP Paralympic Games: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games