New Zealand continue to search for their first gold medal of the Paris Paralympics with time fast running out.
Defending champions Anna Grimaldi and Holly Robinson have finished off the podiums in their specialist long jump and javelin events respectively at Stade de France, with the former falling just one centimetre off bronze.
Grimaldi had taken T47 gold at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, and finished runner-up at the world para-athletics championship at Kobe in April. She also tuned up for the jump event with bronze over 100 metres earlier in the programme, but was on the back foot early, fouling her first attempt, while Ecuadorian Kiara Rodriguez opened with a Games record 6.05m.
The Kiwi sealed her spot in the final with 5.65m in the second round and improved to 5.75m in the fourth, but could promote herself into the medals, as Hungarian Petra Luteran (5.85m) and Dane Bjoerk Noerremark (5.76m) produced personal bests ahead of her.
"I didn't put my best foot forward today," Grimald told TVNZ. "I was really stressed... I wasn't able to settle down and I think the first-round foul really threw me, which it shouldn't.
"It hasn't really sunk in yet. I won the last two of these, that's a big deal and I knew the weight that would carry."
Robinson was further off the pace in the F46 javelin, after silver and gold at the previous two Paralympics, and a shot put bronze earlier in the week. She opened with 39.03m, which led briefly, but none of her remaining five throws were measured, as they fell well short.
Both defending champions finished off the podiums. (Source: TVNZ)
The Kiwi slid to sixth, as first Shainakhon Yigitvalieva of Uzbekistan (43.09m) and then, on the penultimate throw, Venezuelan Naibys Daniela Morillo (43.77m) set Games records. Yigitvalieva improved her best to 43.12m with her final attempt, but could not unseat her rival in a thrilling contest.
"There will probably be more words to come, but pretty disappointed," Robinson told TVNZ. "Also proud of myself... it's been a hard road to get here.
"I loved it out there, despite the difficulties with my runway and my throws. It was an amazing experience out there... really happy with my mindset, it was just technically not there today.
"Ever since Tokyo, I've had a lot of injuries and had to undergo surgery that wasn't quite successful, then tore my calf in March as well. It's just been one thing after another and I haven't been able to put a good comp together."
In the pool, NZ flagbearer Cam Leslie also fell agonisingly short of the medals in the S4 100m freestyle, touching in fourth, 0.13s behind bronze medallist Ami Omer Dadaon of Israel.
New Zealand scooped six gold medals at Tokyo three years ago and have twice landed nine — Atlanta 1996 and Rio 2016. So far, they have four silver and three bronze at Paris.
We have never failed to win gold at the Summer Paralympic, since capturing just one at the inaugural event at Tel Aviv 1968.
Paddler Scott Martlew looms as another strong medal chance this time, after winning his KL2 kayak 200 heat and progressing to the final with the second-fastest time, behind Aussie Curtis McGrath.
400 metres silver medallist Will Stedman ran a season best of 12.41s to qualify for the T36 100 metres final, but will need significant improvement to challenge the podium in his least-preferred event.
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