PARIS — Amid an intense match between the U.S. and Canada wheelchair rugby teams, a momentous announcement echoed at the Champ-de-Mars Arena with just 5:53 left in the first quarter. History was being written.

On Thursday, Sarah Adam scored her first try, marking the first time an American woman has achieved this in the Paralympics. The debut Paralympian and the initial female member of the U.S. wheelchair rugby team was met with thunderous applause, celebrating this landmark achievement.

Adam expressed her enthusiasm about participating in the growing visibility of women’s sports.

“People are going to connect with our stories and our sports, and being alongside such incredible teammates — this is a remarkable team, and I am proud to be a part of it,” she said.

During the match, Adam netted six tries within 16:09 minutes on the court, contributing to the American team’s 51-48 win over Canada in the preliminary round of wheelchair rugby.

The U.S. team, which had been in Paris for about a week, focused on acclimating to the city and reuniting before the opening game.

“She has blended in perfectly,” said co-captain Chuck Aoki. “There’s no other way to describe it. Sarah has embraced her role fully as a team player. I’m incredibly impressed with her contributions.”

Adam feels the same sentiment. Since joining the national team in 2022, she has been warmly welcomed. She views her experience as that of a little sister within the team.

She mentioned that this sometimes results in her teammates being a bit overprotective, but they treat her equally on the court.

“From the start, they’ve treated me like any other athlete, which I truly appreciate,” Adam stated. “The expectations remain high and that has always been my goal. I believe I showcased that today.”

Adam faced a challenging debut against a strong Canadian team, known for their physicality and longstanding rivalry with the Americans. They matched this intensity to secure their victory.

Aoki spearheaded the effort with 21 tries, followed closely by Josh Wheeler with 11 tries.

<p“A win feels good,” Aoki remarked. “Canada certainly brought their best game, as we expected. However, there are areas we need to improve on, which is both frustrating and exciting. Overall, I’m pleased but know we have more work to do.”

Team USA faced some challenges during the match, initially trailing by four points. Canada managed to narrow the gap with an 8-6 run, bringing the halftime score to just 25-24 in favor of the U.S. Timely timeouts in the second half helped the team regain focus and control the game.

Adam’s swift gameplay significantly contributed to the team’s success, both with the ball and off the ball.

<p“While we’ve still got improvements to make, I believe we’ve made progress,” Adam noted. “We started strong and executed our game plan well but had some bumps in the second quarter. I’m proud of how we regrouped and need to ensure we can perform well over all four quarters.”