TOKYO: Table tennis star Rungroj Thainiyom is assured of at least a bronze medal after beating Romania's Bobi Simion 3-2 in the Class 6 quarter-finals at the Paralympics on Friday.
The 37-year-old Thai won 10-12, 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7 and will face Peter Rosenmeier of Denmark in the semi-finals this morning with the final scheduled in the afternoon.
Rungroj won gold at the 2012 London Games to become his country's first ever Paralympic champion in table tennis, and also claimed bronze at Rio 2016.
Wheelchair fencer Saysunee Jana took bronze on Thursday to become Thailand's first medallist at Tokyo 2020.
Thailand aim to claim four to six golds at the tournament which ends on Sept 5.
They are pinning their hopes on athletes in wheelchair racing, boccia and table tennis, among other disciplines.
Under the National Sports Development Fund's bonus scheme for Paralympians, a champion will get 7.2 million baht, a silver winner 4.8 million baht, and a bronze medallist three million baht.
Meanwhile, Brazil's Petrucio Ferreira dos Santos, dubbed the Usain Bolt of para athletics, took gold in Paralympic record time.
Sprinter Ferreira dos Santos capped a successful day for his nation in the relative cool of the Tokyo evening by blazing home in 10.53 for a new Paralympic record and gold in the men's T45 100m.
"The emotions are hard to describe," said the 24-year-old, whose arm was amputated below the elbow after a childhood accident.
His victory came despite sustaining a thigh injury a week before the Games.
"That was quite scary, but I tried to focus on my rehab," he said, describing the support from his wife. "Maybe she was more nervous than I was. I told her: 'Stay calm, I am sure I will recover in time and I will go for that medal'."
His win came after Brazilians earlier claimed the first track-and-field medals of the Tokyo Paralympics, with Yeltsin Jacques kicking things off by squeezing out Japan's Kenya Karasawa to top the podium in the men's 5,000m T11 final.
Jacques, who is visually impaired and runs with a guide, said his win was the culmination of five years of training.
"I have speed, I have energy. I'm naturally fast, it's genetics," added Jacques.