Chinese cyclist Li Zhangyu claimed the nation's first gold medal by beating his compatriot Liang Weicong in the men's C1 3000m individual pursuit gold medal match at Paris Paralympics on Thursday.

Three-time Paralympic champion Li, 36, has won the C1 3000m individual pursuit event in Rio 2016, and added one silver at London 2012 and one bronze at Tokyo 2020.

He set the new world record in the qualifying on Thursday and advanced to the gold medal match with Liang, ensuring a gold medal for the Chinese delegation before the final.