Fifth successive gold for Tunisian shot-putter at Paralympics and US wins first gold

PARIS (AP) — Tunisia’s Raoua Tlili won her fifth consecutive gold medal in shot put at her fifth Paralympics on Friday while the United States captured its first gold.

Tlili's throw of 10.40 meters at the Stade de France was good enough to win the F41 class for a third straight Games. Her first two shot put golds, in Beijing and London, were in the F40 class. The difference is in stature.

She is 1.33-meters (4-foot-4) tall and 34 years old, and proud of her latest achievement.

“It’s not easy as a short-stature person that is of my age ... especially if you compete against opponents who are 22, 25 years old,” Tlili said.

“The Algerians, the Tunisians, everyone who lives in Paris, came and got reunited to watch me. (I heard them saying) ‘Raoua, Raoua, gold, gold.’”

Tlili also won discus gold medals in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.

Reigning Paralympic champion and world record holder Gia Pergolini defended her women’s 100-meter backstroke S13 title Friday, claiming the first gold medal for the United States.

Competing in her second event in Paris, Pergolini, who is from Atlanta, opened her signature race fast and fought off fatigue over the final 15 meters to finish in a time of 1 minute, 04.93 seconds.

“Usually for my 100 back, I know I go out really fast and my mindset was you’re going to go out really fast anyway so just pace yourself,” she said. "I’ve done this so many times so it’s kind of second nature to me."

The first para-athletics gold of the Paralympics was claimed by Brazil’s Julio Cesar Agripino in the men’s 5,000-meter T11 event for runners with a near-total visual impairment.

In a closely contested race, he broke the world record with a time of 14 minutes, 48.85 seconds, edging Japan’s Kenya Karasawa by three seconds, and fellow Brazilian Yeltsin Jacques, the previous world record-holder.

"Today, it's my day, my title. It means a lot,” Agripino said.

France claimed its second gold medal of the Games with cyclist Alexandre Léauté’s triumph in the men’s C2 3,000-meter individual pursuit.

Léauté, who also won gold in Tokyo, won by two seconds from Ewoud Vromant of Belgium, delighting the home crowd at the vélodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.

Brazil's men's goalball team started its title defense with a 13-8 win over the United States in group play.

Goalball is for the vision impaired, and the three-member teams wear blackout glasses. The goals are nine-meters wide. The crowd must be silent so the players can hear the ball with bells inside.

Leomon Moreno led Brazil with six points. A veteran of four Paralympic Games, Moreno praised the high level of goalball in Brazil. “I’m very glad, because I can keep myself playing with these guys,” he said.

AP sports writer Tom Nouvian, and Gabriella Etienne and Ana Escamilla, students in the undergraduate certificate program at the Carmical Sports Media Institute at the University of Georgia, contributed.

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

U.S. goalball athlete Zion Walker blocks a shot in practice at the U.S. High Performance Center during the Paralympic Games in Paris on Wednesday, August 28, 2024. Team USA kept their facility open after the conclusion of the Olympic Games. (AP Photo/Mady Mertens)

Japan's Katsuya Hashimoto, left, looks to score during the U.S. vs Japan preliminary match of wheelchair rugby, at the Paralympic Games in Paris, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024. Japan won 45-42. (AP Photo/Avni Trivedi)

Paralympic athlete Zia Zhou, of China, wins the Women's 100m -T35 final, at the Stade de France stadium, during the 2024 Paralympics, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Israel's Adam Berdichevsky returns the ball to Italy's Luca Arca during their 2024 Paralympics men's Wheelchair singles tennis tournament first round match at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, France, Friday Aug. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Paralympic athletes compete at Women's 5000m - T54 round 1, at the Stade de France stadium, during the 2024 Paralympics, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Paralympic athlete Arjola Dedaj, of Italy, competes at Women's Long Jump -T11, in the Stade de France stadium, during the 2024 Paralympics, Friday, Aug. 30, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

In a box office battle of the sequels, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” had the slight edge over “Mortal Kombat II” in North American theaters this weekend. According to studio estimates Sunday, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” earned a chart topping $43 million in its second weekend, while “Mortal Kombat II” took in $40 million in its first.

This weekend had wide variety of newcomers playing in wide release, including the family-friendly whodunnit “The Sheep Detectives” and a James Cameron co-directed Billie Eilish concert film.

But it was the holdover that triumphed. “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” which has grossed $433.2 million worldwide in its first 12 days in release, helped push The Walt Disney Studios over $2 billion globally for the year. It’s also surpassed the total grosses of the first film, which earned $327 million globally in 2006, not accounting for inflation.

Paul Dergarabedian, the head of marketplace trends for Comscore, said Mother's Day might have helped “Prada” get the advantage over the newcomer and have such a modest 44% dip in weekend two.

“The release date was perfect,” Dergarabedian said. “This may be the new blueprint for how to start a summer."

“Mortal Kombat II” provided some gendered counterprogramming in the second weekend of Hollywood's summer movie season. Warner Bros. opened the movie in 3,503 locations where it drew a heavily male audience. According to PostTrak, 75% of the ticket buyers were men. “The Devil Wears Prada 2” had almost the exact opposite gender breakdown on its first weekend.

The first movie in this series, “Mortal Kombat,” was released simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max in April 2021 as a part of Warner Bros.’ pandemic-era day-and-date strategy. Reviews have been mixed for the sequel, as was its B CinemaScore. It also earned $23 million from 78 markets internationally, adding up to a $63 million global debut.

“Michael” landed in third place in its third weekend with another $36.5 million over the weekend, down only 33% from last weekend. The Michael Jackson biopic has now earned $240.5 million in North America, surpassing the total domestic grosses of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and $577.4 million globally.

Fourth place went to Amazon MGM Studios' “The Sheep Detectives” which brought in $15.9 million in its first weekend in 3,457 theaters. The quirky, all-ages murder mystery features a starry ensemble including Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson and Nicholas Braun, as well as the voices of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Regina Hall and Patrick Stewart as the sheep who try to figure out who murdered their shepherd. Audiences gave it an A- CinemaScore. The movie cost a reported $75 million to produce.

Rounding out the top five was “Billie Eilish—Hit Me Hard & Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)” an immersive concert experience which Cameron shared co-directing credits on with Eilish. Paramount released the movie in 2,613 theaters, where it earned $7.5 million in North America and $12.6 million internationally. The movie was very well reviewed by critics (93% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences, who gave it an A CinemaScore.

“Project Hail Mary,” in its eighth weekend, and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” in its sixth weekend, are still going strong as well — adding up to a weekend that is up significantly from the same weekend last year. Dergarabedian said the films that seem to be doing well and drawing new and repeat audiences week after week are the ones offering “pure, escapist entertainment.”

“This is playing out very well for movie theaters right now,” he said.

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:

1. “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” $43 million.

2. “Mortal Kombat II,” $40 million.

3. “Michael,” $36.5 million.

4. “The Sheep Detectives,” $15.9 million.

5. “Billie Eilish—Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour,” $7.5 million.

6. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” $6.6 million.

7. “Project Hail Mary,”$6.1 million.

8. “Hokum,” $3.3 million.

9. “Deep Water,” $780,274.

10. “Animal Farm,” $663,624.

James Cameron, left, and Billie Eilish pose for photographers upon arrival a the screening of the film 'Hit me Hard and Soft: The Tour' on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in London. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Martyn Ford, from left, Tati Gabrielle, Adeline Rudolph, Lewis Tan and Mehcad Brooks pose for photographers upon arrival at the European Fan Event of the film 'Mortal Kombat II' on Thursday, April 30, 2026, in London. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)