AS the Tokyo Paralympic Games came to an end yesterday, China claimed three more golds and another silver on the last competition day to finish atop the medal tally with 207 medals, including 96 golds. Li Chaoyan won the men’s marathon T45 for the second time since the Rio Paralympics and set a new Paralympic record of 2:25:50. Zhang Yong finished second in the men’s marathon T54. Cheng Hefang defeated Oktila Leani Ratri of Indonesia in the badminton women’s singles SL4 final 3-1. Mai Jianpeng/Qu Zimo notched gold in the badminton men’s doubles WH, beating South Korean pair Kim Jung-jun/Lee Dong-seop in straight sets in the final. In women’s sitting volleyball, China lost to defending champion the United States 3-1 (25-12, 25-20, 22-25, 25-19), finishing second again since the Rio Games. Heather Erickson scored a game-high 21 points for the United States, while Kathryn Holloway added 20. Xu Yixiao scored a team-high 20 points for China. After 12 days of excitement and inspiration, China collected a total of 207 medals, with 96 golds, 60 silvers and 51 bronzes, finishing atop the medal tally for five Games in a row. Meanwhile, the president of the International Paralympic Committee said yesterday he is “emotional” over the closing of the Tokyo Games, held amid a global pandemic. Speaking ahead of the end of the Paralympics, staged following a one-year postponement due to the global health crisis, Andrew Parsons said it was “unbelievable” that athletes had been able to prepare for the Games and pulled off impressive feats in Tokyo. “Of course now, at the very last day, we start to think what would have happened if the Games were canceled. And many thoughts come to mind,” Parsons said at a press conference. “All the sleepless nights, all the difficult moments, all the difficult decisions that were made.” The Paralympics, which opened Aug. 24, roughly two weeks after the closing of the Tokyo Olympics, featured some 4,400 athletes from around the world, a record number, competing in 22 sports. While the Paralympics were held without spectators to prevent the spread of the virus, Parsons said the Japanese public “really embraced the Games at the end.” (SD-Xinhua) | 