The Mirror News Today

ParalympicsGB create history with record-breaking gold medal haul at Paris 2024

ParalympicsGB create history with record-breaking gold medal haul at Paris 2024

PARIS — ParalympicsGB enjoyed their most successful single day for gold medals this century with an incredible haul of 12.

Victories in athletics, cycling, rowing, and swimming saw Great Britain surpass their previous record of nine, that was reached at both Rio 2016 and Beijing 2008.

The gold rush began at the rowing lake with Benjamin Pritchard’s single sculls victory.

The Welsh single sculler, who finished fifth in Tokyo, overhauled Italian Giacomo Perini to crush the field by 11 seconds.

After a protest from Australia, Perini was eventually disqualified for using a communications device in his boat with two-time reigning champion Roman Polianskyi of Ukraine taking silver.

“He had an open phone in the boat, which isn’t allowed,” Pritchard said.

“If you’re breaking the rules, you shouldn’t be on the podium.”

The mixed four, coxed by breast cancer survivor Erin Kennedy, continued their 14-year unbeaten run, and extended one of the longest winning streaks in British sport.

Lauren Rowles became the first Paralympian to win three gold medals in rowing with a thrilling double sculls success alongside former Army Commando Gregg Stevenson.

There was silver, too, for new pairing Sam Murray and Annie Caddick.

Attention then turned to the velodrome where Kadeena Cox earned redemption for her individual woes by contributing to team sprint gold.

The 33-year-old combined with Jody Cundy and Jaco van Gass to successfully defend their mixed team sprint title in the velodrome in a time of 47.738s, beating Spain by almost two seconds.

“After the highs and lows of this week it’s nice to come out and win a Paralympic title,” Cox said.

“It took a lot to get me back out here and I had to climb over a big hurdle to get back onto the start line.”

Kadeena Cox, Jaco van Gass and Jody Cundy pose together holding the Union Jack (Photo: Getty)

GB won both titles in the tandem kilo time trial events with James Ball dethroning compatriot Neil Fachie in a men’s one-two and Sophie Unwin breaking the world record to win the women’s event, with Lora Fachie taking bronze.

The swimming squad’s sensational week continued as they won four golds to take their tally to 11 and go top of the sport’s medal table.

Having made it back-to-back 200m medley titles, Maisie Summers-Newton dominated the 100m breaststroke in Paralympic record time to do the double-double.

After her emotional reaction to settling for breaststroke silver went viral, Brock Whiston took 200m medley gold with Alice Tai taking bronze and USA’s four-time defending champion Jess Long trailing in fourth.

“I had something to prove to myself and I did it,” Whiston said.

“I needed to beat the great Jess Long and I wanted to come out and show what I can do.”

Grace Harvey upgraded Tokyo silver to gold in the 100m breaststroke, a thrilling race that saw her beat China’s Zhang Li at the touch, while the night was rounded off with a mixed 4x100m freestyle relay win courtesy of Will Ellard, Rhys Darbey, Poppy Maskill and Olivia Newman-Baronius.

At Stade de France, the banker was “Hurricane” Hannah Cockroft making it four in a row in the 100m which she did in a time of 16.80 seconds, more than a second ahead of team-mate Kare Adenegan in silver medal position.

“You know you are the person people are watching but that’s what keeps you going, you don’t want to let them down and I know I have more in me too,” Cockroft said.

Sabrina Fortune set a big new world record of 15.12m to claim gold in the shot put and wheelchair racer Sammi Kinghorn scooped silver in the 800m on a glorious day to be British in Paris.