South Africa’s first medal of the 2024 Paralympic Games is in the bag, thanks to a blistering run by Mpumelelo Mhlongo in the men’s T44 100m race last night.

The man who was our flag bearer at the opening ceremony ran a season’s best time of 11.12s to beat Cuban Yamel Luis Vives Suares and Malaysian Eddy Bernard to the gold medal.

Last night’s run was a few split seconds off the Paralympic (11.03) and world (11.00) records, both held by Mhlongo, but was nonetheless a spectacular sprint by the South African.

Watch it here:

Around the grounds:

Several other South Africans were in action yesterday; here’s some of the highlights:

• Archer Shaun Anderson was narrowly defeated 134–136 in the quarter-finals.
• High-jumper Khumo Pitso finished fifth with a new African record jump of 1.98m.
• Long-jumper Liezel Gouws finished eighth in the women’s long jump T37 final and will compete in the Women’s T37 400m final tomorrow.

Today’s action:

• Sprinter Louzanne Coetzee finished second in her heat yesterday and will compete in today’s final at 10:11.
• Triathlon Kirsty Weir will compete in the rescheduled Women’s Individual PTS4 final at 12:40.
• Athlete Puseletso Mabote won his heat yesterday with a Paralympic record-equalling time (12.05) and will run in tonight’s Men’s 100m T63 final at 19:40.