The Netherlands is dominating in tennis: Aniek Van Koot of Netherlands with her silver medal, Esther Vergeer of Netherlands with her gold medal and Jiske Griffioen of Netherlands with her bronze medal
LONDON, England ● As the London 2012 Games enter the final full day of action, there is still plenty to compete for as medals are handed out in 10 different sports.
South Africa’s Oscar Pistorius may not have enjoyed the individual success that was expected of him prior to the Games, but Saturday sees him compete for gold in his favoured event, the men’s 400m – T44.
The Paralympic poster-boy, who contested the same distance at the Olympic Games, currently has a 200m silver medal to his name and was part of the victorious South Africa team that took gold in the men’s 4 x 100m Relay -T42/T46.
However, a number of athletes will be aiming to dethrone the reigning Paralympic champion, with Blake Leeper of the USA looking likely to be one of his main competitors, while Brazil’s Alan Fonteles Cardoso Oliveira could come back to haunt Pistorius after his sensational gold-winning performance over 200m.
As the Table Tennis competitions draw to a close, China have the opportunity to take a clean sweep of the day’s Team titles as they boast representatives in every gold-medal match.
They look particularly strong in the men’s Class 9-10 and the women’s Classes 6-10 and 4-5, in which their teams are yet to drop a game.
Victory in all four matches would take the Table Tennis superpower to a staggering six titles from eight Team events.
Elsewhere, the Netherlands’ dominance of women’s Wheelchair Tennis continues as Marjolein Buis joins Singles champion Esther Vergeer to take on compatriots Jiske Griffioen and Aniek van Koot in the women’s Doubles final.
Three of the four athletes graced the podium in the women’s Singles competition and the two pairs’ progression to the gold-medal match ensures the Netherlands hold on to their Doubles title.
At the Aquatics Centre, Host Nation hero Ellie Simmonds will be aiming to round off a memorable Games by delivering a third gold for Great Britain with victory in the women’s 100m Freestyle – S6.
The 17-year-old’s biggest competition for gold will likely come from Beijing 2008 silver medallist Mirjam de Koning-Peper of the Netherlands and the USA’s Victoria Arlen, who is the current world record holder in the event.
Medals will also be handed out in Boccia, Road Cycling, 5-a-side Football, Sitting Volleyball, Wheelchair Basketball and Wheelchair Fencing.