Kiwi paddler Scott Martlew has progressed directly into his KL2 kayak final, after recording the fastest time in his Tokyo Paralympics heat.
Competing at the same Sea Forest Waterway venue that brought so much success for NZ Olympic canoeists and rowers a month ago, Martlew railled through most of the 200m journey, but stormed home in 43.588s to snatch the automatic spot in Friday's final.
Ukrainian Mykola Syniuk won the second heat in 43.731s and joins Martlew in the final, with their rivals chasing qualification through semi-finals.
Martlew, 28, had his left leg amputated after a rugby accident and finished eighth in the KL3 event at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, before winning silver and bronze as KL2 at subsequent world championships.
Meanwhile, swim star Sophie Pascoe has also eased into her fifth final of the Games, qualifying third fastest through heats of the S9 100m butterfly.
After winning gold medals over 100m freestyle and 200m individual medley on consecutive nights, she clocked 1m 09.58s to finish second in her heat, with Hungarian Zsofia Konkoly recording the fastest time of 1m 07.05s.
While Pascoe dominated Konkoly over the opening butterfly leg of the medley final, Konkoly very nearly ran her down over the closing metres of freestyle.
After an exhausted winner - a left-leg amputee - vomited and needed oxygen to recover from her effort, which may take a toll for the butterfly final at 8:28pm Thursday.
New Zealand's medal tally at Tokyo currently sits at four gold, three silver and three bronze.
Thursday, September 2
SWIMMING
Men’s 100m butterfly heats - Jesse Reynolds (S9), 6th 1m 05.64s (does not progress)
Women’s 100m butterfly heats - Sophie Pasce (S9), 2nd 1m 09.58s (progresses to final)
8:28pm Women’s 100m butterfly final - Sophie Pasce (S9)
CYCLING
Women’s road race - Nicole Murray (C5), 6th 2h 25m 27s
Men’s road race - Stephen Hills (T2), 6th 54m 13s
Women’s road race - Eltje Malzbender (T1) did not finish
CANOE
Men’s kayak single heats - Scott Martlew (KL2), 1st 43.588s (progresses to final)
Men’s kayak single heats - Corbin Hart (KL3), 6th 43.538s (progresses to semi-finals)
Men’s Va'a single heats - Scott Martlew (VL3), 6th 55.439s (progresses to semi-finals)
ATHLETICS
12:01am (Sept 3) Women’s 100m heats - Anna Steven (T64)
