GREAT MEDALS FOR GB

JONNIE PEACOCK AND HANNAH COCKFROFT DEFENDED THEIR TITLES IN RIO AS THE GAMES GOT OFF TO A GREAT START

REPORT: STUART WEIR IN RIO PICTURES: ONEDITION

Jonnie Peacock: emphatic winner of T44 100m title

PARALYMPICS, RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL

FTER ALL the doom and gloom, and the rumours of bankruptcy and cancellation, the 2016 Rio Paralympics made an excellent start.

The crowds were bigger than many expected – up to 25,000 for the weekend sessions – and, just as importantly, they engaged with the sport and screamed their heads off, particularly when a Brazilian was winning. Several athletes commented on how good the atmosphere was, even in the morning sessions. As Gemma Prescott, bronze medallist in the women’s club throw F32, said: “The crowd was great and it was good to see them getting behind Paralympic sport. You could see people in the crowd having fun and enjoying watching, perhaps people who have never seen Paralympic sport before. That is valuable in itself.”

Athletics is significantly the biggest sport in the Paralympics, accounting for 1140 of the 4477 competitors. The second biggest is swimming with 594. Athletes hail from 146 countries with 393 from Europe, 269 from the Americas, 257 Asians, 161 Africans and 60 from Oceania. The complexity of classifications within disability athletes means Rio has 177 medal events, more than three times the number in the Olympic athletics. However, with 1140 athletes split over 177 events – although most compete in more than one event – it means a significant number of events go straight to a final.

Georgie Hermitage: gold in a world record time

FABULOUS FRIDAY

Friday evening saw four British gold medals in 100m races in less than two and a half hours. Georgie Hermitage won her first Paralympic gold medal in style, smashing her own world record for the T37 cerebral palsy class with 13.13. After bursting out of the blocks, she was put under pressure by French opponent Mandy Francois-Elie early on but showed her class as she swept away the field.

An emotional Hermitage said afterwards: “I am a Paralympic gold medallist. It is an amazing feeling. I couldn’t have asked for more today. I was worrying so much in warm-up and the call room. I am such an over-thinker, but I’ve won on the biggest stage and I’m delighted. To win the gold today is such a relief and shows all the hard work has paid off.”

Sophie Hahn, who was inspired to take up the sport after the 2012 Games, captured a memorable victory in the 100m T38 in 12.62, beating Brazil’s Veronica Hipolito by 0.26 seconds. The 19-yearold said: “It’s unbelievable – to be watching on TV in London and then four years later to be Paralympic champion ... There’s been a lot of hard work and tears that have gone into the last few years and it’s all paid off, so I’m really happy”.

Gold medal three came from Libby Clegg. In the course of 36 hours in the 100 metres T11, Libby Clegg and her guide, GB international 400m runner, Chris Clarke, won their heat, broke the world record in the semi-final, were disqualified and subsequently reinstated before going on to win the gold medal! The disqualification followed a protest that she had been dragged along by her guide. Clegg said of the incident: “I’m a really experienced athlete now, this is my third Paralympic Games. I would never want to dishonourably win a medal or cheat or break the rules. I was sad that the allegation had been made against me.”