In a thrilling showdown at Champ-de-Mars Arena, history was made on Thursday as Sarah Adam scored the first try for an American woman in the Paralympics. With 5:53 remaining in the first quarter, the announcement broke through, marking a landmark moment for the U.S. wheelchair rugby team.

Sarah Adam, a first-time Paralympian and the first woman to join the U.S. wheelchair rugby team was met with a resounding chorus of applause following her historic try. Adam, who scored six tries against Canada in just 16:09 minutes on the court, played a key role in leading the American team to a narrow 51-48 victory in the Group A preliminary round.

Reflecting on her achievement, Adam expressed her excitement about contributing to the growing interest in women's sports. “We know people are going to fall in love with our stories and our sports and to be able to do that alongside these amazing teammates — this is truly a special team and I'm honored to be a part of it,” she said.

The team, which had been in Paris for about a week, had focused on settling into their new environment and reconnecting before the opener. Co-team captain Chuck Aoki praised Adam’s seamless integration into the team, stating, “She has fit in perfectly. There's no other way to put it. She has just embraced her role as a player on the team. I have been so, so impressed with what Sarah's been able to do.”

Adam echoed the sentiment, describing her experience with the team as feeling like a little sister. Despite the occasional overprotectiveness, she noted that the standards on the playing field remained high. “From the beginning, it was still treating me no different than any other athlete out there, which I've appreciated,” Adam said. “... The standards never changed and that has been my goal from the beginning … I think today I was able to go out there and prove that.”

The U.S. team faced a physically demanding match against Canada, a team known for its tough play, but managed to emerge victorious. “I think we've got a little bit of work to do,” Adam acknowledged. “We came out hot and really (played) USA ball and had a little bit of a hiccup in the second quarter, but I'm proud of us for pulling it back together, sticking back to the game plan, but now we need to find a way to put all four quarters together.”