There’s about 20 minutes left in the 5-a-side, but there’s no more medal action this evening and the time has come for us to say goodbye. Check back for much more Paralympic news on Friday. Thanks for reading.
Still no goals in Argentina v Iran. We’re into the second half.
A result in the women’s goalball: Turkey have beaten USA 11-1, and they’ll play China in the final.
A new world record for Australia! Such a good swim. Congratulations to Ellie Cole, Lakeisha Patterson, Maddison Elliott and Ashleigh McConnell.
Australia win it in 4:16.83! USA take the silver, China the bronze, and Britain just miss out in fifth.
It looks like it’s Australia’s. They’ve opened up a substantial lead.
We’re about ready for the women’s 4x100m S10 freestyle relay. Australia qualified with the fastest time.
Gold for Singapore! In the women’s 50m backstroke S2. Pin Xiu Yip wins gold, Yazhu Feng of China the silver, and Iryna Sotska of Ukraine the bronze. The medals piling up for Ukraine tonight.
Iran and Argentina are currently locked at 0-0 in the men’s football 5-a-side. Brazil await in the final – a Brazil-Argentina gold medal match could be pretty exciting.
Turkey look like they’re heading for the final in the women’s goalball – they’re 5-1 up against USA in their last four clash. The winner of today’s clash will play China on Friday.
And more success for Ukraine! Hennadii Boiko takes gold in the men’s 50m backstroke S2. Francesco Bettella of Italy wins silver, and Boiko’s fellow Ukrainian Anton Kol wins bronze.
Medal news in the pool: China’s Liankang Zou has broken the world record in the men’s 50m backstroke S2. His compatriot Benying Liu was second, and Serhii Palamarchuk of Ukraine was third.
Thanks Nick! Yep, lots more to come in swimming, athletics, football and table tennis. Stick with us for another hour.
Ok, I’m going to hand you over to Tim Hill in a minute for the rest of the night’s activity. Enjoy!
One more gold before I leave you. Another China 1-2. It’s Xie Qing taking gold in the women’s 100m freestyle S11. What a remarkable night they have had – are having.
A – yes – world record in the pool! It’s the men’s 100m S11 freestyle, it’s the US’s Bradley Snyder in 56.15. His third victory of these Games!
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Great Britain take silver in the 4 x 100m! China win it in relative comfort eventually, with Australia third. China take Great Britain’s world record too, even though nobody in their team had won an individual medal. And three of their runners are just 18! All about the team.
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Sarah Louise Rung of Norway won that women’s 200m medley race in the pool, by the way. Now they’re off in the relay...
Some British interest here – the women’s T35-38 4x100m final is to begin shortly. Kadeena Cox, Maria Lyle, Georgina Hermitage and Sophie Hahn are charged with bringing it home.
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More success for China now – a one-two in the men’s long jump! It’s gold for Hi Jianwen, while Zhong Huanghao takes silver. China are just irrepressible this summer.
Ah, the pool is deemed fit for purpose again after that 45-minute break. We will recommence with that women’s 200m individual medley SM5 final shortly. I imagine we’ll finish fairly late here now.
Turkey came in more than a minute later, only to promptly be disqualified for an incident that happened earlier in the race. Oh – and Australia have been kicked out too. So there will be no bronze awarded! I’m not entirely sure of the why and wherefores.
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China win it! And they win by an absolute street, in a world record of 3”32.12 – nearly eight seconds better than the old one! Wow. Tatyana McFadden, she of that wonderful victory earlier, gives game pursuit and ensures silver for the US, but after a couple of laps this one was in no doubt whatsoever.
We had a false start, but China lead from Turkey now that they’re underway. Two and a half laps to go.
The women’s 4x400m T53/54 is the next track event. It’s to be contested only by Australia, the US, China and Turkey.
Great game again but it's 69-63 to Spain. Our men will join our women in going for bronze. #GBProud https://t.co/S3DKFFBa6l
— ParalympicsGB (@ParalympicsGB) September 15, 2016
The score from, and ramifications of, that basketball semi.
That’s it! Houdet and Peifer win 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, and they reach the final. Such a good match, such bad luck for the British pair; in the end the slightly better, and perhaps fitter on the night, team won.
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5-1 to France now. Don’t think this is happening. If you aren’t French.
And another break for France in the tennis. It’s 4-1 now and that might just be decisive.
Still no action in the pool. Nothing looks especially wrong. They’ve been running a few medal ceremonies in the meantime so I’d expect we will be underway again soon.
The level in this tennis final is so, so high – but if you’re of a British persuasion the latest news is not good. Reid and Hewett were broken in the third game, and the French pair have just made sure of it on their own serve. 3-1 in the third set.
We have our latest track gold! It’s Pongsakorn Paeyo, of Thailand, in the men’s 800m T53 – and it’s another victory earned after a dramatic late dash from behind. Two golds and a silver for Paeyo now in these games. He is just 19.
Have some eye candy now with some fine work from our picture desk – a gallery of day seven:
We’ll let you know, of course, when the swimming resumes. Just pictures of an empty pool just now, and it’s uncertain what exactly has happened.
Strange scenes around the pool, by the way, as the women’s 200m individual medley has for some reason been postponed. “Venue maintenance” is the given reason. We know not what that means – but the athletes have been led out.
But! It’s all square now! Great Britain won that last game, and took the second 6-4. Now for the decider! We’ll focus a bit more attention on this one as it hits the business end...
Wondering that’s happening in the tennis? Great Britain looked nailed on for the second set at 5-2, but France have pulled it back to 5-4 and are 30-15 up on serve. Nailbiting times.
We have a women’s shot put gold medalist too – China’s Wang Jun with a world record of 13.91m.
Gold medalist in that one is Huang Wenpan in yet another world record in the pool tonight of 3.09.04! They just keep on tumbling. Sweden’s Mikael Fredriksson, far behind the rest using a back-flipping motion, is cheered home to the rafters and comes in with a personal best. It’s well deserved.
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Men’s 200m freestyle S3 final in the pool coming right to you now...
Won comfortably by Poland’s Alicja Fiodorow in 25.86. She looks a very good bet for a medal when the time comes.
After that mini hiatus, stand by for a women’s 200m T47 semi-final on the track...
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Great Britain are playing Spain in the wheelchair basketball semis, by the way. At half-time, Spain were 35-28 to the good.
We now have a run of victory ceremonies, although the men’s long jump is among those competitions currently in progress.
In the tennis, they’re on serve in a second set that Great Britain must win and lead 3-2.
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That was amazing from Whitehead, who came right from the back of the pack to finish so, so strongly on the last 30 metres. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an athlete finish a race like that! Another few metres and he’d have come all the way through ... but the result of the photo finish is in and it’s a dead heat! Whitehead and Wagner share silver!
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But it’s Australia’s Scott Reardon who takes gold in 12.26! Whitehead forged through tremendously too and it’s a photo finish for silver between him and Daniel Wagner of Denmark....
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The age range in this race runs from 40 to 14!
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Men’s 100m T42 final is next up on the track. Heinrich Popow of Germany is the world record holder and defending champion. Great Britain’s Richard Whitehead is, as I mentioned earlier, in heavy contention too – the remarkable 40-year-old already has a 200m gold to his name.
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Yes, it’s another big, big world record! It’s a time of 4:29.96 from the 20-year-old Canadian Aurelie Rivard, who just blew the field away. There was nobody to touch her. It’s her third gold of the Games!
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Over in the pool (I feel like I’m watching a tennis match here, but having to write a blog entry on every shot), it’s the women’s 400m freestyle S10 final. I’ll level with you, I’ve only been half-watching, but I think we may have a Canadian winner if this continues....
And Savon Pineda wins gold in 10.97! It was him all the way from the start. A blistering run.
The men’s 100m T12 final is upon us. There are four competitors. World champion Leiner Savon Pineda of Cuba can be favoured.
No pause for breath whatsoever here as, in the pool, there’s a Ukrainian one-two in the men’s 400m freestyle S10 – it’s Maksym Krypak with an absolutely huge world record of 3:57.71, ahead of his compatriot Denys Dubrov. They were basically swimming their own race from the very start. Bronze is Canada’s Benoit Huot, who has now won medals in five consecutive Paralympics!
Another athletics gold – and another Paralympic record! It’s Namibia’s Ananias Shikongo in the men’s 200m T11 – an event run with guides – who wins in 22.45.
Great Britain have lost the first set of the tennis doubles final 6-2 to the French pair. The second has just begun.
Tiffany Thomas-Kane does indeed take gold! She does it in 1.35.39, another Paralympic record. Sophia Herzog of the US takes silver – and Henshaw has the bronze for Great Britain! Ellie Simmonds finished a creditable fourth.
Thomas-Kane second at halfway, Henshaw third...
Here comes Ellie Simmonds in the SB6 100m breaststroke. Thomas-Kane, who we mentioned earlier, is the one to beat though. Charlotte Henshaw is in with a good shout here for Great Britain too. They’re off!
...and the Netherlands’ Marlou van Rhijn absolutely storms it in 26.17, a Paralympic record! That was a stunning run! She was able to look across at the clock by the end. Nobody to touch her. The 24-year-old defends her title after a quite unstoppable burst in the final 70m.
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On the track, it’s the women’s T44 200m final...and they’re away...
Ievgenii Bogodaiko of Ukraine defends his title in the men’s SB6 100m! It’s a world record of 1:18.71!
In the pool, we next have the men’s SB6 100m breaststroke. Meanwhile, over in the tennis, the British pair Hewett and Reid are 4-2 down in the first set...
And Tatyana McFadden wins the women’s 5,000m T54 final for her third gold of the Games! She led them home wonderfully in an exhilarating sprint finish. It’s a USA 1-2-3 of McFadden, Chelsea McClammer and Amanda McGrory. McPower or what!
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Nice moment there as Cashmore gives Xu Jialing a hug. She finished fifth, a place behind Smith.
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She doesn’t! Smith fades completely towards the end and China’s Xu Jialing takes gold! Sarai Gascon of Spain is second. Hungary’s Zsofia Konkoly comes third. Cashmore is not among the medals.
Elizabeth Smith of the US looks like taking it though....
They’re away, and Cashmore started very well...
Now for that women’s race with Cashmore et al. Now.
Gold for Greece’s Dimosthenis Michalentzakis in the men’s 100m butterfly S9 – a Paralympic record of 59.27sec! He has beaten the favourite, Federico Morlacchi, for an improbable victory! Hungary’s Tamas Sors comes third. And they’re behind schedule here so apologies for not flagging this race up to you before.
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Brazil beat China 2-1 in the football semi-final! Try and see those two Jefinho goals that won it; such incredible close control and lethal finishing. They will play Argentina or Iran.
The women’s 5,000m T54 final is first up in the athletics stadium. American and Chinese athletes are the favourites here. Tatyana McFadden, of the former, has already won 100m gold here.
I think first up in the pool will be the women’s 100m butterfly S9 final in about 10 minutes’ time. Claire Cashmore, who won her seventh Olympic medal when she took silver in this year’s 100m breaststroke MB8, is among those in action. Ellie Simmonds and company are on after that.
The tennis is about to start. Remember, it’s Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett up against France’s Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer – and gold is the prize!
Athletics coming up – and there’ll be that men’s doubles tennis too. British interest aplenty in both...
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This is a really nice piece from last year involving Sophie Christiansen:
Gold and silver for Great Britain in dressage
Sophie Christiansen does indeed take gold, on her horse Athene. She defends her title! In second it’s Anne Dunham, riding LJT Lucas Normark. Great Britain win the team gold too – and with Natasha Baker winning gold in the grade II event earlier today it’s a clean sweep!
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2-1 to Brazil! Another startling finish from Jefinho, who tricked his way inside and then blasted into the top corner. The crowd chant his name. What an extraordinary footballer he is.
Second half underway in that football semi. It’s 25 minutes each way, if you weren’t sure. Hard to pick a winner between Brazil and China here – might take another moment of genius, and we’ve already seen two. Still 1-1.
Griffioen wins the women’s tennis gold medal! She got there, despite Van Koot reeling her back in towards the end. She eventually takes an excellent match 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in 1h 55min, and celebrates emotionally.
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Sophie remains in the lead with three more to go - @SocialCherryUK #TeamSophene #Rio2016
— Sophie Christiansen (@SChristiansen87) September 15, 2016
I think we’re on the verge of a dressage gold for Great Britain...
Van Koot has now brought it back to 5-3 in the final set, this time fending off a match point in so doing. This has come from next to nowhere, and it’s getting a little tense out there.
Equaliser for Brazil in the football! Again it’s a wonderful goal, Jefinho slaloming through the defence and sliding the ball home just inside the far post. The roar can be heard during the nearby tennis final ... in which Van Koot has given herself a little bit of hope, winning on Griffioen’s serve as she was serving for the match and pulling the final set back to 5-2. The music in the break between games is “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls.
As somebody below the line correctly points out, there’s wheelchair rugby on. In Group B, Japan lead France 17-15.
1-0 to China in the men’s football! A vicious left-footer from Wang Yafeng, struck so hard that it rebounded straight out of the goal and back onto the pitch. Everyone stopped for a moment, but a goal it was – and what a goal.
This has also happened:
WATCH A heart-breaking end to the wheelchair rugby as Canada's last minute goal dampens 🇬🇧 qualifying hopes https://t.co/zKG6m6VdI5
— C4 Paralympics (@C4Paralympics) September 15, 2016
Haven’t got this on my screen, but there’s been late drama in another Brazil-China semi-final face-off. This one was in women’s goalball ... the Chinese winning 4-3 with a golden goal, and earning at least a silver medal!
And Griffioen is 3-0 up in the tennis decider now. She looks totally dominant and it’s hard to see her letting this go against the fourth seed.
High-tempo start in the football but just one decent chance so far, missed by China. There’ve been a few hefty knocks taken already. Don’t forget, the goalkeepers are sighted but the outfield players cannot see during the game. Some of the control is, bearing that in mind, stunning.
Josh Widdicombe, once of this very chair, is on the Channel 4 Paralympics show as we speak. My career in stand-up and panel shows is looking good for lift-off in a couple of years.
By the way, the athletics and swimming both start a little after 9.25pm UK time, in case you’re wondering. Til then, we’re enjoying a multitude of other events. The football semi is kicking off now...
Griffioen wins that second set 6-1, so we’re at one apiece in the tennis with the world No1 very much holding the momentum. It’s been a good match to watch so far.
The first five-a-side football semi-final is soon to begin. Brazil and China have just walked out. Hate to bang on about crowds but you’d like a rather bigger one for a match involving the host nation and holders.
Griffioen is giving it back in the second set of the women’s tennis final. Everything she hits just now is finding the lines – and she’s 4-0 up.
Van Koot – the outsider – has taken that tennis first set.
The Dutch are also involved in a women’s wheelchair basketball semi-final at the moment. They are 12-4 down to Germany, but it’s early deuren.
On my teevee at the moment is the wheelchair women’s tennis final – an all-Dutch affair between Jiske Griffioen and Aniek van Koot. Been some big hitting so far – and Van Koot is on the verge of taking the first set at 5-3 up.
We’ll get into some proper action in the next 15 minutes or so, but for now whet the appetite with an up-to-date medal table:
Good evening!
It’s been a historic day already. Although not necessarily in the happiest way. David Weir, you might know by now, has announced his retirement from track racing and while Rio 2016 was a disappointment for him I don’t think there’s much to regret in the career of a quite phenomenal athlete.
There has been plenty more to savour already though and tonight’s lineup should hold the attention too. If you’re British, the highlight might come at 10.17pm when Richard Whitehead attempts to follow his 200m title with the T42 100m title. There’s more sprint action at 11.33pm when Georgina Hermitage goes for her third gold in the T35-38 4x100m relay. You won’t want to miss the sensational Ellie Simmonds in the SB6 100m breaststroke final at around 9.50pm, which there are medals up for grabs in tennis too – with Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett facing France’s Stephane Houdet and Nicolas Peifer in the men’s wheelchair doubles showpiece at 8.30pm.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg, so stay with us – and be sure to write in with your thoughts, too.
Ellie won't win that distance. It's between Charlotte Henshaw and Tiffany Thomas Kane. The latter has a dreadful back story about bullying which is worth looking up
And don't forget the semi of the wheelchair basketball at half 9. Will be watching that, tennis and C4 all at once