Paris 2024 Paralympics day two: GB equestrian inquiry; athletics, cycling and more – live

Per PA: British Equestrian has confirmed that Sir Lee Pearson – Britain’s third most successful Paralympian – has been suspended amid an ongoing investigation into his conduct following his failure to qualify for Paris 2024. The 50-year-old won 14 gold medals between 2000 and 2021, a total only surpassed by cyclist Dame Sarah Storey and swimmer Mike Kenny. Pearson – Britain’s flag bearer for Rio 2016 – has not competed since March 2023. He declined to comment on his suspension but has expressed his ambition on social media to return in Los Angeles in 2028. A statement from British Equestrian read:

“British Equestrian and British Dressage are aware of concerns and allegations that have arisen surrounding an individual within the dressage community. In line with our own procedures, the matter is currently under investigation and the individual has been suspended from both organisations whilst that investigation takes place. No further comment will be made at this time.”

The equestrian events begin on Tuesday at the Palace of Versailles.

What a start! The first athletics event on the fast purple track at the Stade de France was the T11 (visually impaired) 5,000m … and Brazil’s Júlio César Agripino shaved more than five seconds off the world record with a blazing time of 14:48.85 to storm to gold. In doing so, he surpassed the record set by his compatriot and reigning champion Yeltsin Jacques at the world championships in May – who, Yesis named after Boris Yeltsin.

Kenya Karasawa of Japan took silver in an area record of 14:51.48 ahead of Yeltsin, who completed a podium sweep of runners who all came under the previous world record of 14:53.97. The world champion shaved more than a second off his own PB, finishing in 14:52.61. The result means the same podium finishes but a different all-around medal count than at the World Championships in Kobe, where the order was Yeltsin, Agripino, Karasawa.

Kudos as always to the guide runners in the visually impaired track events – Romario Santos Viana, Micael Batista and Guilherme Ademilson shared Agripino’s glory. The winner collapsed exhausted and elated on the track at the finish, but was quickly helped to his feet and received a boisterous reception from the crowd.

Elsewhere gold for Tunisia! Raoua Tlili took gold in the shot put F41 (small stature) with a season record of 10.40m. She beat Uzbekistan’s Kubaro Khakimova by just four centimeters, but her 10.36m was a regional record. Antonella Ruiz Diaz from Argentina took bronze with 9.58m.

Good day. In Paris, there was even talk of a cracker, as the athletics competitions got off to an excellent start with an outstanding world record performance during the very first track event of the Games in the Stade de France (more on that later).

There will be much more to come in the athletics field soon, with 14 gold medals to be won in a busy programme of swimming, track cycling finals, taekwondo, archery, badminton, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, tennis, table tennis, goalball and boccia.

We’ll point you to the best action as it happens. But there’s plenty to catch you up on this morning…