PARIS: Great Britain swept Germany aside 71-43 on Thursday to reach the final of the men´s Paralympic wheelchair basketball tournament thanks to a sensational 35-point performance from Gregg Warburton.
The Britons showed they have the firepower to pose a challenge to reigning champions the United States, who face 2012 champions Canada in the second semi-final later. Just four points separated the sides at half-time of the semi-final at a full and boisterous Bercy Arena but Germany´s challenge started to unravel early in the third quarter as they let the shot-clock wind down twice. Warburton, 27, turned the second half into a shooting masterclass that the Germans just could not control.
Overall he shot 63% from the field and Lee Manning added 14 points as Team GB pulled away. The second-half dominance allowed Britain´s coaches to bring on their bench players and keep their starters fresh for Saturday´s final as the Germans, for whom Thomas Boehme top-scored with 11 points, were reduced to seeking consolation baskets. Turkey won the gold medal match in the women´s goalball at the Paris Paralympics on Thursday, handsomely defeating Israel 8-3 to claim their third consecutive Paralympic title. After tasting gold at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, the Turkish women´s team have now won gold in all three of the appearances at the Paralympics.
After seventh- and sixth-placed finishes at the past two Games for Israel, their silver medal performance at Paris 2024 marked their first podium finish in women´s goalball. The reigning world and European champions flew out of the traps against Israel by scoring two goals inside the first two minutes, courtesy of Sevda Altunoluk and Fatma Gul Guler.
