After Day 2 of the 2008 Paralympics, 68 events have been completed, and 213 medals awarded. On Day 3, championships in athletics, boccia, cycling, equestrian, judo, swimming and shooting will be decided.
SHOOTING: After winning eight gold medals last month, American swimmer Michael Phelps has won 14 golds in total -- the most of any Olympian. Yesterday, Jonas Jacobsson of Sweden won his 14th Paralympic gold medal, in the SH1 men's 10m air rifle. The 43-year-old has been collecting medals since his first Paralympics in 1980, and won four championships each at Sydney and Athens. In his first of four Beijing events, he smashed the world record with a 697.4 point performance, eclipsing the old mark by 3.4.
SWIMMING: More world records yesterday in the fastest pool on earth -- nine in total. Andre Brasil, who happens to come from the same country as his last name, finished the men's 100m butterfly for S10 competitors in 56.47 to begin Day 2's competition. In the final event of the day, South Africa's Natalie du Toit won her second gold in as many days by taking the women's S9 100m freestyle (1:01.44).
Think doping violations only occur at the Olympics? Think again! The first positive drug test of the 2008 Paralympics occurred when Pakistani powerlifter Naveed Ahmed Butt produced an "adverse analytical finding," which is to say that the International Paralympic Committee found that Butt had the anabolic steroid methandienone in an out-of-competition urine test on Sep. 4. He was banned from competition for two years.
The crowds in Beijing have been much more impressive than last month. While the Games of the 29th Olympiad were sold out, many seats were empty due to block sales and heavy security. In the first two days of the Paralympics, venues have been packed thanks to affordable prices (US $4.50 to $12). Some volleyball players and coaches are overwhelmed by the response.
Ruta Cvirkiene, coach of the Lithuanian women's team, said: "Our girls were shocked to see so many people because we have no fans at home.Here's the complete medal table after two days of competition.
"Several of them cried when they walked out on to the court because the spectators cheered and applauded so loudly for them."
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China |
8 | 10 | 10 | 28 |
| 2 |  United States |
8 | 4 | 5 | 17 |
| 3 |  Great Britain |
7 | 5 | 3 | 15 |
| 4 |  Australia |
6 | 5 | 10 | 21 |
| 5 |  South Africa |
4 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 |  Canada |
3 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
| 7 |  Brazil |
3 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| 8 |  Czech Republic |
3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| 9 |  Algeria |
3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 9 |  Mexico |
3 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 11 |  Ukraine |
2 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 12 |  Russia |
2 | 3 | 5 | 10 |
| 12 |  Cuba |
2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 14 |  Sweden |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 15 |  Germany |
1 | 8 | 3 | 12 |
| 16 |  Spain |
1 | 7 | 2 | 10 |
| 17 |  France |
1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 18 |  Belarus |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 18 |  New Zealand |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 20 |  Denmark |
1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 20 |  Hungary |
1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 22 |  Venezuela |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 23 |  Cyprus |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 23 |  Saudi Arabia |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 23 |  Latvia |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 23 |  Slovakia |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 27 |  Japan |
0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 28 |  South Korea |
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 28 |  Netherlands |
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 30 |  Iran |
0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 31 |  Greece |
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 32 |  Poland |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 33 |  Israel |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 33 |  Norway |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 33 |  Tunisia |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 36 |  Argentina |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 36 |  Azerbaijan |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 38 |  Belgium |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 38 |  Finland |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 38 |  Italy |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 38 |  Jamaica |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 38 |  Puerto Rico |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 38 |  Slovenia |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
(Photo credit: Getty Images)
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