At Paralympics, women are blazing trails in male-dominated and roughest of sports, wheelchair rugby

PARIS (AP) — When told by the stadium announcer that they were witnessing history, the Paris spectators roared and applauded. Not that the woman making history actually noticed: Sarah Adam was far too occupied — merrily slamming her wheelchair into other players, all of them men, and zipping across the court to score try after try.

Adam is blazing trails in France's capital as the first American woman to compete in the most rough-and-tumble of the 22 sports at the Paralympics — wheelchair rugby.

She was in the starting lineup when Team USA kicked off its campaign on Thursday — against familiar foe Canada. Her six tries in 16 busy-as-a-bee minutes on court didn’t just contribute to a 51-48 victory in the group-stage game. Her belief and hope is that she’s also opening minds by showing that women can thrive in the mixed-gender but male-dominated sport.

“There’s a place for us on that court,” she said. “We need to have more females out there, and being seen, so that people know that this is an option for them.”

Other women in wheelchair rugby are barrier-busting, too. Australia has an unprecedented three women on its 12-player team in Paris. Denmark, Germany and Japan also have female players, leaving host nation France, defending champion Britain and Canada as the only teams that don't.

The total of eight women is double the number that made wheelchair rugby teams at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021. But the 88 men in Paris still outnumber the women 11-to-1, so there's plenty of room and appetite for more progress.

“It’s going too slowly,” said Ella Sabljak, who scored one try in her 6 1/2 minutes on court in Australia's opening game against Britain, which pulled away in the fourth quarter to win 58-55.

“We’re definitely paving the way in Australia," she said. “Other teams definitely need to catch up, understand and recognize that women add value to the game. You know, we’re not burdens. We’re not different. We’re not difficult. We are, like, elite athletes amongst other elite athletes. And so I think people need to change their perspective on what women bring to the table.”

Adam was more upbeat.

“We’re getting more visibility,” she said. "The first step, that’s what matters.”

At the Paralympics, the sport classes athletes according to their physical abilities, with a score of 0.5 for the least able players, increasing by half-point increments to 3.5 for the most able. Together, the four players that teams field at any one time cannot have a combined total score above 8 — meaning that the most able players must team up with others less able.

But the sport rewards teams that field women — allowing them an extra half point for each woman they have on court. Against Canada, that rule allowed the U.S. team to start with Adam and Josh Wheeler, both classed at 2.5, and defender Jeff Butler, who added 0.5, but still leaving room for captain Chuck Aoki, classed at 3.0. He went on to become the team's top scorer, contributing 21 tries.

“It levels the playing field,” Adam said of the rule.

Sabljak, the Australian, said: “It increases our chances of participating because it’s always been really male dominated."

“It makes me feel like I am valued," she added.

Andrea Bundon, who studies female participation in Paralympic sports, says wheelchair rugby is using the rule to encourage teams to look for and develop female players, who can then give them an extra edge on court.

“There is value in having the women and men compete together — they can appreciate each other’s athleticism and see that women are capable of competing at that level,” Bundon said in written comments to The Associated Press. She works at the University of British Columbia in Canada, specializing in the mechanics and anatomy of human movement.

“The position women occupy in this sport is still very precarious,” Bundon cautioned. But with Paralympic sports getting increasing attention, “the fact that these women are going to have the opportunity to showcase their athleticism and talent is good news and should be celebrated — even as we demand better!”

Exceptionally quick and nimble on two wheels, skills that she hones in hard training, Adam wove rings around burly Canadian men who chased her around the court, ramming their armored chairs into her's when they could.

“They’re pretty big.” she said. “I've got to be smarter. I've got to be strategic and kind of outsmart them because I’m not able to to throw my weight into it that much. Me against a 200-pound guy, I’m going to lose."

“I rely on the agility — the agility and the smarts."

Spectator Marleen Sanderse, who participated in the Beijing Paralympics in 2008 as a backup rower for the Netherlands, was impressed.

“She’s amazing,” Sanderse said. “It’s so important to have role models, in sports, in politics, in everything.”

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Australians Shae Graham, left, and Jake Howe watch the game on the sideline during the 2024 Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby match Australia against Great Britain at the Champs Mars Arena Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Clayton Brackets, left, and Sarah Adam from the United States acknowledge applauses after they defeated Canada 51-48 during the 2024 Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby match United States against Canada at the Champs Mars Arena Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Zachary Madell of Canada, left, Chuck Melton of the United States, center, and Trevor Hirschfield of Canada challenge for the ball during the 2024 Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby match United States against Canada at the Champs Mars Arena Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Stuart Robinson of Great Britain, left, as he is blocked by Australians Andrew Edmondson, center, and Ryley Batt during the 2024 Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby match Australia against Great Britain at the Champs Mars Arena Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Andrew Edmondson of Australia, center, and Stuart Robinson of Great Britain, right, challenge for the ball as Ryley Batt of Australia looks on during the 2024 Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby match Australia against Great Britain at the Champs Mars Arena Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Sarah Adam of the United States makes a try as Zachary Madell of Canada look on during the 2024 Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby match United States against Canada at the Champs Mars Arena Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Mason Symons of the United States and Mike Whitehead of Canada, right, challenge for the ball during the 2024 Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby match United States against Canada at the Champs Mars Arena Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Australians Ella Sabljak, left, Emilie Miller, center, and Josh Nicholson watch the game from the sideline during the 2024 Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby match Australia against Great Britain, at the Champs Mars Arena, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Ella Sabljak of Australia takes the ball to try during the 2024 Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby match Australia against Great Britain at the Champs Mars Arena Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Sarah Adam of the United States, left, blocks Zachary Madel of Canada during the 2024 Paralympics Wheelchair Rugby match United States against Canada at the Champs Mars Arena Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

BUKWO, Uganda (AP) — Thousands of mourners in Uganda paid respects to Rebecca Cheptegei, the Olympic athlete who died last week in Kenya after her partner set her on fire, at a military funeral in a remote town near the Kenyan border.

Military officers played a prominent role in the funeral because Cheptegei held the rank of sergeant in Uganda's army, said military spokesman Brig. Felix Kulayigye, adding that she deserved a “gun salute that befits her rank."

Athletes, family members and others delivered their eulogies before thousands in a sports field in the district of Bukwo.

Cheptegei, who was 33, will be buried later on Saturday.

She died after her body suffered 80% burns in the attack by Dickson Ndiema, who doused her in gasoline at her home in western Kenya’s Trans-Nzoia County on Sept. 3. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed to his injuries.

According to a report filed by the local chief, they quarreled over a piece of land the athlete bought in Kenya.

The horrific gasoline attack shocked many and strengthened calls for the protection of female runners facing exploitation and abuse in the East African country.

Cheptegei’s body was returned to Uganda Friday in a somber procession following a street march by dozens of activists in the western Kenyan town of Eldoret who demanded an end to physical violence against female athletes.

Cheptegei is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in a worrying pattern of gender-based violence in recent years. Kenya’s high rates of violence against women have prompted several marches this year.

Ugandan officials have condemned the attack, demanding justice for Cheptegei. First lady Janet Museveni, who also serves as Uganda’s education and sports minister, described the attack as “deeply disturbing.”

Don Rukare, chairman of the National Council of Sports of Uganda, said in a statement on X that the attack was “a cowardly and senseless act that has led to the loss of a great athlete.”

Four in 10 women, or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women, have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the 2022 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey.

Many Ugandan athletes train across the border in Kenya, an athletics powerhouse with better facilities. Some of the region’s best runners train together at a high-altitude center in Kenya’s west.

Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics, finishing in 44th place, less than a month before the attack. She had represented Uganda at other competitions.

—

Muhumuza reported from Kampala, Uganda.

Members of the public gather for a funeral service of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei ahead of her burial in Kapkoros, Bukwo District, Uganda Saturday, Sept. 14. 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

Members of Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) carry the coffin of their colleague Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Koriny Cheptegei, ahead of her burial in Kapkoros, Bukwo District, Uganda Saturday, Sept. 14. 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

Members of Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF) stand at the casket of their colleague Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Koriny Cheptegei, ahead of her burial in Kapkoros, Bukwo District, Uganda Saturday, Sept. 14. 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

Members of the public gather for a funeral service of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei ahead of her burial in Kapkoros, Bukwo District, Uganda Saturday, Sept. 14. 2024. (AP Photo/Hajarah Nalwadda)

Mourners pay respects to Ugandan athlete who died after her partner set her on fire

Mourners pay respects to Ugandan athlete who died after her partner set her on fire

FILE -Rebecca Cheptegei, competes at the Discovery 10km road race in Kapchorwa, Uganda, Jan. 20, 2023. (AP Photo, File)