Sawt Falasteen - Fencing star Bebe Vio misses gold again at Paralympics

It was one of the biggest shocks of the Paris Games when two-time champion Vio lost her semi-final on Wednesday and with it her title in the women's foil category B.

The Italian, who uses prosthetic arms having had all four limbs amputated as a child after contracting meningitis, managed to salvage a bronze medal in that event.

On Thursday, Vio -- one of the faces of Nike's Paralympics marketing campaign -- was hoping to take advantage of a second opportunity to win gold in the team event, but her Italian team were beaten 45-41 by China in a hard-fought semi-final contest.

They won a bronze medal by beating Hong Kong and Vio congratulated her teammates in her customary euphoric style, but despite increasing her overall Paralympic medal total to six these Games have undoubtedly been a disappointment for the 27-year-old.

Another global face of the Paralympic movement, Oksana Masters, won her second gold of the Paris Games as the Ukrainian-born US cyclist took the H5 road race title. Masters now has eight Paralympic golds.

- USA v Canada showdown -

In other sports, the USA men's basketball team are aiming to emulate their Olympic counterparts by winning gold in Paris -- but Canada stand in their way in the semi-finals.

The Canadians are appearing at this stage for the first time since they won the gold medal at London 2012. The USA have won the two editions since then and are aiming to make it three in a row.

Lying in wait for the winner is Great Britain, who thrashed Germany 71-43 to reach the final for the first time since 1996 thanks to a sensational 35-point performance from sharp-shooting Gregg Warburton.

Wheelchair tennis enjoyed two historic moments.

Yui Kamji and Manami Tanaka became the first Japanese women to win a Paralympic gold, ending The Netherlands run of eight successive titles, as they beat Diede de Groot and Aniek van Koot in three sets.

Earlier Guo Luoyao and Wang Ziying won a first ever Paralympics wheelchair tennis medal for China when they took bronze in the women's doubles at Roland Garros.

There was more tennis history later when Japan's

Turkey won gold in the women's goalball, defeating Israel 8-3 to claim their third consecutive Paralympic title.

French President Emmanuel Macron was in the crowd at the Stade de France to watch the athletics action as Australian double amputee Vanessa Low bettered her own world record with a jump of 5.45 metres in the women's T61 long jump.

Judo heavyweights Ukraine claimed a gold and two bronze medals as action in that sport began.

Nataliya Nikolaychuk, 37, won the women's -48kg J1 for athletes with partial sight having had to settle for bronze in the Tokyo Games three years ago and at London 2012.

Bronze medals for Anzhela Havrysiuk in the women's -57kg J1 class and Davyd Khorava in the men's -60kg J2 for blind athletes completed the impressive opening display for the war-torn country whose athletes have faced huge obstacles in preparing for these Games.

Paris 2024 chief organiser Tony Estanguet said Sunday's closing ceremony of the Paralympics, which is billed as a giant 'club night' featuring 20 of France's top DJs, would be the perfect end to a summer of Olympic and Paralympic sport in Paris.

"We really want this summer to end in the best way with a really great closing ceremony, for the Paralympics, but in fact what we are celebrating on Sunday evening is the end of the whole of Paris 2024," Estanguet said.

With several events still to finish on Thursday, China were clear leaders in the medals table on 71 golds with Great Britain second on 35 and the USA third with 27.

M.Qasim--SF-PST