Hart beats Baker to Paralympic dressage gold as USA wins three equestrian medals

PARIS (AP) — Rebecca Hart won the dressage gold medal aboard Floratina at the Paris Paralympics and the United States won two other equestrian medals on Tuesday.

Britain’s Natasha Baker, a six-time gold medalist, was the favorite but finished third in the Grade III category for riders with severe impairments in both legs but minimal or no trunk impairment.

“It’s been 25 years of trying to get to this point and being close many, many times,” said the 39-year-old Hart. “To actually get it, I feel like I’m going to wake up at any moment. It’s just surreal. It feels like a dream.”

Hart’s best previous result at the Paralympics was a team bronze medal in Tokyo.

Fiona Howard won gold for the U.S. in the Grade II category on Diamond Dunes and Roxanne Trunnell took silver on Fan Tastico H in Grade I — which has the most severely impaired riders.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better (horse) to do my first Paralympic Games,” the 25-year-old Howard said.

She praised the impact of team veterans Hart and Trunnell, who is also 39.

“It’s helped me so much,” Howard said. “All my teammates have been to at least one (Paralympic) Games and numerous world championships.”

Howard got distracted by her surroundings in the regal gardens at the Palace of Versailles, once the home of French royalty.

“I had to refocus myself," she said. "It’s such a beautiful venue.”

It was Trunnell's fourth Paralympic medal after two individual golds and a team bronze at the Tokyo Games in 2021. She contracted a virus in 2009 that caused swelling in her brain and left her needing a wheelchair.

The United States routed France 82-47 in men’s wheelchair basketball to advance to the semifinals.

The Americans, looking for their third straight gold medal, will face Canada on Thursday for a spot in the final.

Tuning out the spirited French crowd, the Americans never trailed and held France to just 36% shooting.

Jake Williams poured in 23 points and had 10 assists, and Brian Bell scored 20 and pulled down 14 rebounds. Christophe Carlier led France with 11 points.

Britain faces Germany in the other semifinal.

Alexandr Kostin won the T12 1,500 meters for athletes with minor visual impairment, in a Paralympic record time of 3 minutes, 44.43 seconds, four seconds faster than the previous mark.

“I haven’t realized that I have won gold yet," said Kostin, who, as a Russian, is competing as a neutral. "It feels like I’m sleeping through a magical dream.”

Yeltsin Jacques of Brazil also set a record in the T11 1,500 for athletes with severe visual impairments who use guides.

Jacques won in 3:55.82, breaking the world and Paralympic records he set in winning the Tokyo gold.

“After everything I’ve been through — injury, illness — to come here and get a medal, it’s very special," Jacques said.

Cuban long jumper Robiel Yankiel Sol Cervantes secured his second consecutive Paralympic gold at 7.41 meters, winning by nine centimeters.

China’s Hao Wang was second and Russia’s Nikita Kotukov third at 7.05 under a neutral banner.

“It means a lot to me to win back-to-back Paralympic titles," Cervantes said. "I only wish I could have improved my distance because I had trained for that.”

Cervantes dedicated his victory to his late grandmother.

“I have a debt to her because she left me a task that I couldn’t achieve today, to jump eight meters,” Cervantes said. “I was training a lot for that. It wasn’t today, but let’s move on.”

In the women’s 50 meters backstroke final, Chinese swimmers took the top three spots.

Lu Dong won the gold medal ahead of He Senggao and Liu Yu in the S5 class, for swimmers with severely impaired movement in the torso and legs or missing limbs.

The 32-year-old Lu, who lost both arms after being hit by a car at the age of six, is now an eight-time gold medalist and has achieved the feat of winning gold at each of the last four Paralympic Games.

“I’m really excited and happy to have the gold again today," Lu said.

”(Our secret) is to support each other," He commented when asked about China's sweep of medal in the category. "That’s how we got all the medals, we support each other.”

The men's 50 meters backstroke S5 final saw the same scenario as three Chinese swimmers also claimed all three medals.

Yuan Weiyi won the race at La Défense Arena, beating Guo Jincheng and Wang Lichao.

AP Sports Writer Jerome Pugmire in Versailles contributed to this report, as did Avery Hill, a Penn State journalism student.

AP Paralympics: https://apnews.com/hub/paralympic-games

Fiona Howard of the U.S. competes in the equestrian grade II individual event at the Palace of Versailles, taking home the gold medal in her first Paralympic Games at the 2024 Paralympics, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Kileigh Kane)

Rebecca Hart of the U.S. competes in the equestrian grade III individual event at the Palace of Versailles, taking home the gold medal at the 2024 Paralympics, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Kileigh Kane)

Rogier Dorsman, of the Netherlands, celebrates after winning at Men's 200m Individual Medley -SM11, during the 2024 Paralympics, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Roxanne Trunnell of the U.S. celebrates her silver medal in the equestrian grade I individual event at the Palace of Versailles, at the 2024 Paralympics, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Kileigh Kane)

Rebecca Hart of the U.S. competes in the equestrian grade III individual event at the Palace of Versailles, taking home the gold medal at the 2024 Paralympics, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Kileigh Kane)

Cuba's Omara Durand Elias competes in the women's 400 m. T12 during the 2024 Paralympics, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Switzerland's Catherine Debrunner celebrates after winning the women's 1500 m. T54 during the 2024 Paralympics, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Cuba's Robiel Yankiel Sol Cervantes competes at the men's long jump T47 during the 2024 Paralympics, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

Cuba's Robiel Yankiel Sol Cervantes celebrates after winning the men's long jump T47 during the 2024 Paralympics, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

The New York Giants lost by winning.

A rare victory — 45-33 over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday — knocked the Giants out of control for the coveted No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

So much for Shedeur Sanders’ Giants-themed cleats unless New York trades up to get the Colorado quarterback.

The Giants (3-13) dropped from first to fourth in the draft order, with the Patriots (3-13) moving up to No. 1. New England doesn’t need a quarterback because rookie Drake Maye has been one of the team’s few bright spots this season. But the Titans (3-13) currently sit at No. 2 and they will be seeking a franchise QB at No. 2. The Browns (3-13) should do the same if they stay at No. 3. Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward won’t be around if New York has to settle for the fourth pick.

That’s why Giants fans were angry after witnessing the team’s first win at MetLife Stadium this season.

“The playoff is out of contention, you understand what they’re saying,” quarterback Drew Lock said after throwing for 309 yards and four touchdowns. “But at the same time, it’s nice to say we’re going to go work, we’re going to keep doing this, we’re going to keep pushing, the season’s not over, we’ve got two games left to be able to come out and win this one — that’s the goal every single week, come out and win and work as hard as we can to do it."

Players aren’t going to tank football games. It’s a violent, physical sport and it would be dangerous to play to lose. Plus, there’s too much pride involved and other factors. Guys are playing for contracts and there are few job guarantees in the NFL.

“We’re obviously not tanking,” said wide receiver Darius Slayton, who screamed an expletive about tanking after catching a 32-yard TD pass. “At the end of the day, we have a job to do. This isn’t basketball, it’s not golf, it’s not tennis. Football, you get hit, so I’m not (going to) go out there and just let people tee off on me just to tank.”

Getting coaches on board to play not to win would be a tough task, too. Brian Daboll has no incentive to care about draft positioning if his job status is uncertain. General manager Joe Schoen also could be fired, so this decision should have come from the top. Start a third-string quarterback and bench key starters. That’s how teams give themselves a better opportunity to lose.

The Giants didn’t do that. The repercussions of this victory could set the organization back a few years if New York doesn’t end up with a franchise quarterback.

That’s not Daboll’s concern. He breathed a sigh of relief after the Giants avoided becoming the first team to go 0-9 at home.

“I see these coaches every day come in and are consistent. It’s hard to be consistent in an inconsistent league when things go ... It’s not great,” Daboll said. “We haven’t had a good record. I firmly acknowledge that and I accept responsibility for that. But their commitment to doing things the right way, day in and day out, staying late and putting together plans much like the players when we’re down and we got two wins. We have the right kind of people. It was good to get a win at home, I’ll say that. It was good to get a win at home. But it means more to me for the players and the coaches.”

Las Vegas, another team that needs a franchise quarterback, was in contention for the top pick before winning consecutive games. Now, the Raiders (4-12) are sitting at No. 8.

“We don’t do this to lose,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said last week. “We don’t do this for anybody’s fantasy football team. Don’t do this for anybody’s draft projections. None of that (stuff) matters to us. What matters is winning, and that’s all we want to do.”

Even if winning ends up hurting the franchise.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

New York Giants quarterback Drew Lock (2) celebrates with tight end Daniel Bellinger (82) after Lock scored a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts in the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)