Saturday Bronze MatchBrazil vs Ukraine 9:30pm Gold MatchChina vs USA 12:10am ThursdayClassification matches Position 5-6Netherlands 2-3 Iran (21-25, 13-25, 25-23, 25-15, 13-15) Position 7-8Canada 3-0 Rwanda (25-21, 25-15, 25-20) Rwanda’s historic debut at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games sitting volleyball competition ended with a dismal record after losing four consecutive matches to finish bottom of eight teams. The 2015 Africa Paravolley champions lost to Canada in straight sets 3-0 (21-25, 15-25 and 20-25) on Thursday night to wind up a campaign that also saw them lose against China, Iran and USA in Group B. Peter Karreman’s team had previously lost to China in their Group B opening match 3-0 (3-25, 25-8, 25-6) before falling to Iran in the second match 3-0 (10-25, 19-25, 18-25) and later to the USA also in straight sets 3-0 (10-25, 8-25 and 3-25). This implies that Rwanda bowed out of the quadrennial event with people with physical disabilities without winning a single set. In the fifth-place playoff, Iran overcame Netherlands in a five set thriller 3-2 (25-21, 25-13, 25-23, 25-15 and 15-13). Meanwhile, sitting volleyball powerhouses China, who ranked number one in the world and second-ranked USA, lock horns in the highly anticipated gold medal match on Saturday evening while hosts Brazil faceoff with Ukraine in the bronze medal match. China, seeking a fourth successive gold medal, reached the final after defeating Ukraine 3-0 (25-14, 25-23, 25-20) while three-time silver medalists USA, eyeing their first gold medal, defeated Brazil 3-0 (25-13, 28-26 and 25-18). editorial@newtimes.co.rw
