Live: Dual-sport star Parker dominates para cycling road race to win second Paris Games gold

ICYMI ABC Sport’s man on the ground in Paris, Charles Brice, has shared what it’s like for a wheelchair user to deal with the city’s cobblestone roads.

While there aren’t any Australians currently competing in Paris, early tomorrow morning it’ll be action packed.

Three Aussies will feature in swimming finals – including gold medal favourite Tim Hodge in the men’s 200m IM SM9, and reigning women’s T63 long jump champion Vanessa Low will headline our chances in the track and field.

No gold medals have been awarded yet today, but Czechia’s Jiri Suchanek and Poland’s Rafal Czuper are currently locked at one game each in their title decider.

It has been a big day of semifinals, though.

Come with me on a trip around the tables.

As we just saw, in the MS11, Australia’s Samuel von Einem went down to Kim Gi Tae of Korea Republic.

Kim will face Chinese Taipei’s Po Yen Chen in the gold medal match at 4:15am AEST.

Earlier, in the WS11, Wada Natsuki of Japan defeated Turkey’s Ebru Acer. She’ll play NPA athlete Elena Prokofeva for gold, who defeated another Japanese competitor, Furukawa Kanami.

In the MS3, German Thomas Schmidberger progressed to face Feng Panfeng of China.

Turkey’s Kubra Korkut will take on Dutchwoman Kelly van Zon in WS7 and in the WS1-2, Italy’s Giada Rossi will come up against China’s Liu Jing.

Phew!

Lauren Parker has received her gold medal for the women’s H1-4 road race, and it’s wonderful to see her beaming as she has her moment atop the podium for the second time in Paris.

If you want more of an understanding of classification, and the process athletes go through to get classified, we asked physiotherapist and classifier Tanja Spencer to give us her insights, alongside wheelchair racer Sam Rizzo.

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Thanks for following along, and don’t forget Simon Smale on the NRL blog too – if two just isn’t enough.

Australia’s Samuel von Einem weathered 7 match points in the fourth game of his MS11 semifinal against the Korea Republic’s Kim Gi Tae, but he fell on the eighth.

It was a battling final set from the Aussie, coming back from 10-6 down to force deuce, but the Korean and his ferocious backhand just proved too strong.

It will be bronze for world number one von Einem, after his silvers in the event at Tokyo and Rio.

He loses the fourth set 15-13 and the match 3-1.

Kim will now play Po Yen Chen of Chinese Taipei in the gold medal match at 4:15am AEST.

As we mentioned earlier, Australia’s Anton Zappelli didn’t progress from the qualification stage in the R6 – mixed 50m rifle prone SH1 event.

The medals have since been decided, with Germany’s Natascha Hiltrop triumphing with a Paralympic record score of 250.2.

It is her second Paralympic gold medal during her decorated career.

Sweden’s Anna Benson (248.8) took the silver and France’s Jean-Louis Michaud (227.8) was awarded the bronze.

It was an incredibly quick second heat in the men’s 800 T54, with five of the six racers qualifying for the final.

Unfortunately for Australia’s Samuel Rizzo, he was a fair way off the pace, finishing sixth with a time of 1:45.33.

That means that neither he nor Luke Bailey will race in the final.

It’s going to be fast though.

The winner of the second heat, China’s Jin Hua, broke the Paralympic record with a time of 1:31.50.

Daniel Romanchuk of the USA was the previous record holder, and he finished second in the heat.

Switzerland’s Marcel Hug was third.

He is the current World Record holder.

It was a topsy turvy third game that ultimately went Kim Gi Tae’s way.

His ferocious backhand got the better of Australia’s Samuel von Einem more than once.

The Korean won the game 11-9 to go up 2-1 in the match.

Massive game coming up for the Aussie world number one.

Unfortunately for Australia’s Luke Bailey, he never really got going in the first heat of the men’s 800m T54.

It’s still incredibly wet at the Stade de France, with puddles speckled across the track.

His finished 7th with a time of 1:51.34.

Sam Rizzo is up now in the second heat…

It’s Australia’s first involvment at the Stade de France today, with Luke Bailey and Samuel Rizzo set to take off in the 800m T54 heats.

Bailey is in the first and Rizzo in the second.

It was a much better second game from Australia’s Samuel von Einem in his semifinal clash with Korea Republic’s Kim Gi Tae.

He produced some stellar shots and takes the second game 11-8.

It’s now one game each.

It was a statement first game from Korea Republic’s Kim Gi Tae in the men’s MS11 para table tennis semifinal.

Australia’s Samuel von Einem struggled to get going and was defeated 11-5.

But the Aussie world number one has made a stronger start to the second game. Scores are locked at 5-5.

The women’s T38 long jump final has just finished, with Hungary’s Luca Ekler taking gold.

No Aussie’s in this event, but Luke Bailey and Samuel Rizzo aren’t far off in the men’s 800m T54 heats.

Australia’s Samuel von Einem is about to commence his MS11 semifinal tie.

The Aussie won silver at both Rio and Tokyo in the event.

For a chance to go one better in Paris, he’ll have to first get past the Korea Republic’s Kim Gi Tae. 

Von Einem, who is the number one ranked player in the world, has eight wins and three losses against the Korean, but Kim has won the last two matchups.