Fencers battle to outwit each other and deliver the most mind-blowing touches, from conventional shots to sky-hooks and many more. It’s blink-and-you-will-miss-it stuff.

Check out just some of the athletes who could make an impact at the Grand Palais on 4 September and check out how to watch live here.

Women’s category B

Following a couple of years out to study after retaining her Paralympic title at Tokyo 2020, Italian icon Bebe Vio Grandis has seen-off injury to remind everyone that she is the woman to beat in foil.

A world champion since 2015, it has become hard to imagine anyone challenging her. But they will try.

Contenders could include China’s World Championships silver medallist Rong Xiao and Thailand’s Saysunee Jana, who has improved markedly in foil in recent years.

Women’s category A

China’s Paralympic title holder Haiyan Gu is unbeaten over the last two seasons in foil, carrying great form into Paris 2024.

Ukraine’s Nataliia Morkvych has also maintained her podium potential in the intervening years since claiming silver at Tokyo 2020.

French hopes rest on debutants Clemence Delavoipiere and Brianna Vide. The LA 2028 hosts will look towards Jataya Taylor and Victoria Isaacson to make an impact for the USA.

The women’s category A contains some of the sport’s most iconic fencers. These include Hong Kong’s Yu Chui Yee, a five-time Paralympian and champion from Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, and Italy’s Loredana Trigilia.

Trigilia is going into her seventh Paralympic Games at Paris 2024.

Women’s team foil

Despite changing their line-up since winning gold at Tokyo 2020, China remain a strong force in this event.

In fact all medallists from the last Paralympics can say the same thing.

At the last World Championships the top three – China, Italy and Hungary – collected the same medals they had done from the Games three years ago.

Men’s category A

China’s defending champion Gang Sun has all the hallmarks of becoming one of his country’s most successful fencers. That is no mean feat, considering the Chinese can boast a series of highly decorated wheelchair fencers and finished on top of the sport’s medal table at Tokyo 2020.

But he is not unbeatable. Sun finished sixth at last year’s World Championships.

There club-mate Saichun Zhong got past him for a place in the final, and Zhong will make his debut in Paris.

Italy’s Emanuele Lambertini emerged the victor on that occasion, and splits Sun and Zhong at the top of the world rankings.

Hungary’s Richard Osvath, the silver medallist from Tokyo 2020, should also not be discounted. He beat Lambertini for gold at both the most recent European Championships and the last World Cup before Paris.

Keep a close eye on Ludovic Lemoine and Damian Tokatlian, representing France at their home Games, and William Schoonover and Byron Branch, making their debut for the USA ahead of LA 2028.

Men’s category B

Another Chinese fencer, Yanke Feng, is impressively consistent in the category B.

Feng is a double Paralympic champion, having claimed the title on his debut at Rio 2016, and taking it again three years ago. He is also the world champion from the last two editions.

The 36-year-old is also one-half of a rivalry with five-time Paralympian teammate Daoling Hu, who had to settle for silver in Tokyo and at the Worlds.

One man trying to insert himself into this mix is Great Britain’s Dimitri Coutya, the bronze medallist from the last Paralympics. There Coutya reached his first podium and got a taste for it.

“Tokyo was quite frustrating but also very eye-opening. It was the first time, in my opinion, that I’d really performed and really deserved the result on a grand stage like that,” Coutya said.

“The Paralympics is so incredible but the way you handle it is so important. That environment, if you don’t manage it well, can break a performance.

“The work that I put in to get prepared for Tokyo was quite a lot. I committed so much to it but I also made mistakes and there were things that I really hadn’t done enough of.

“I’ve really kept that in my mind coming here. Now I can say I’m really happy with my preparation, it’s been really thorough. I’m quite experienced with the Games environment now and I’m just looking forward to coming here and doing the best I can.”

Also keep a close eye out for France’s Maxime Valet, a serial World Cup medallist in foil…

Men’s team foil

The team foil is one of the strongest chances for hosts France to deliver a medal to the sold-out crowds at the Grand Palais.

Indeed the French have finished on the podium at every single Paralympics since London 2012. They cemented their place amongst the main contenders at the Worlds with bronze less than one year to go to Paris 2024.

China are the defending champions, whilst Great Britain left Tokyo 2020 with silver.

 

Wheelchair fencing will take-over the iconic Grand Palais at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games from 3-7 September.

Athletes will compete in the men’s and women’s individual epee, sabre and foil category A and B and the men’s and women’s team epee and foil.

A total of 97 fencers have qualified for this edition of the Paralympic Games from 21 countries. A large number will be debutants as the sport continues its worldwide growth.

Photographs from each day of competition will be available on World Abilitysport’s Flickr.