Britain’s Dimitri Coutya has won his first Paralympic gold in wheelchair fencing in the men’s B category.

The world number one breathed a sigh of relief after defeating China’s two-time Paralympic defending champion Feng Yanke 15-7 at the Grand Palais.

The 26-year-old dominated the competition from the start, quickly building up a lead of 8:4 and securing victory by eight points.

On the way to the final, Coutya also beat Ukrainian Dmytro Serozhenko 15:4 in the semifinals and Thai Visit Kingmanaw 15:5 in the quarterfinals.

The wheelchair fencer’s Paralympic gold is an improvement on the bronze medal he won at the same event in Tokyo three years ago and comes in addition to the European titles in the B foil and épée events he secured in March and 2022.

“I haven’t really realized it yet. At the moment I can barely breathe,” Coutya said after the competition.

“This is something I have wanted for so long and I have been working on it for so many years now.

“After the disappointment in Tokyo, I was very happy with the result (bronze) given my starting position, but I really wanted the gold and that is what I have dedicated my life to in recent years.

“I haven’t really started to process it yet.”

Of his tactics against Feng, Coutya, who trains at the University of Bath, added: “I knew I had to beat him if I actually wanted to win a Paralympic gold medal.”

“He’s at his best, so I told myself I had to get myself in the best possible mindset and carry it through to the end. And that’s what happened in the game.”

Coutya, who is also the world number one in the épée B category, will aim for further gold medals in the men’s team foil quarterfinals on Thursday (11:40 CEST), the individual épée B category on Friday (08:40) and the team épée quarterfinals on Saturday (11:40).