Paris — A determined United States wheelchair rugby team advanced to the gold medal game at the 2024 Paralympics by overcoming rival Great Britain 50-43 in the semifinals on Sunday.
The triumph extended the USA's podium record, as the team has medaled at every Paralympics since wheelchair rugby became an official sport in 2000.
Team USA had been waiting three years for this rematch after being defeated by Great Britain in the gold medal match in the Tokyo Games.
"This is exactly how we wanted it set up," said Sarah Adam, who had 13 tries in the game.
The sides traded tries throughout the first quarter, and it wasn't until the last seconds of the session that momentum switched in the Americans' favor, when the team's defense pushed Great Britain into a ten-second penalty, denying GB a chance to score as time expired.
"That call was huge," said Chuck Aoki, the team's leading try scorer with 18. "I mean, getting the last goal is very important in sports, and that was a significant penalty
especially since we were pressing so hard, so getting that meant a lot. Every turnover counts, and I believe we did an excellent job of capitalizing on them.
The United States came out of the huddle and began to "cash in," scoring twice and forcing two steals in the opening 40 seconds.
"The first quarter is always a little feeling out," Aoki reported. "And the second it felt like we really turned it on and just attacked them and built our way up to a pretty good lead."
Team USA will meet Japan in the gold medal game on September 2 at 7:30 p.m. local time. The team will seek to snap its 16-year gold medal drought against Japan, who defeated the Americans earlier this week in pool play.