From our Olympics correspondent – China continued its unrivalled supremacy in para table tennis on Friday night, taking away both of the first two gold medals in the women’s doubles. The doubles format, which returned to the Paralympics this year for the first time since 1976, has so far proved disappointing for the French contenders, with fan-favourites Fabien Lamirault and Julien Michaud taking home the bronze after being beaten 3-1 by South Korea in the men’s doubles semi-finals.
In some ways, para table tennis doubles feels like the Paralympic Games in microcosm. No two athletes at the table are living with the same disability – on one side of the net, a player will lash the racket to her wrist, pulling the strap tight with her teeth. On the other, an athlete will lean over the table to serve, her weight resting on a crutch.
