US cyclist Oksana Masters and British Paralympic legend Sarah Storey expanded their collection of titles in the early events on Wednesday, while Italian fencing star Bebe Vio started her quest for medals with a comfortable win. Masters, born in Ukraine with birth defects thought to be connected to the Chernobyl disaster, secured her seventh Paralympic gold in the H4-5 category. The 35-year-old, adopted by an American family, has also medaled in rowing and various winter sports such as cross-country skiing.
Storey, participating in her ninth Paralympics at 46, criticized the Paris organizers after her victory in the C5 time trial, her 18th gold, ahead of French contender Heidi Gaugain. Born without a functional left hand, Storey has now amassed 29 Paralympic medals since her debut in 1992. She expressed disappointment over the 14.1-kilometer course, calling it 'appalling' and stating it was the shortest Paralympic time trial ever.
Beatrice 'Bebe' Vio, another prominent figure in Paralympism, easily advanced to the semifinals in the women's foil category B with a 15-2 victory over Ukrainian Nadiia Doloh. Vio, who uses prosthetic arms following amputations due to meningitis at age 11, won gold in individual foil at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. She dominated the match, leading 7-0 before Doloh scored.
France surpassed their Tokyo gold medal count with Alexandre Leaute's win in the C2 time trial, bringing their total to 12 golds and placing them fifth in the medals table. China led with 55 golds, followed by Great Britain with 31 and the USA with 24, at the halfway point of Wednesday's events.
