Paralympics LIVE: Great Britain’s Brock Whiston wins silver on Games debut at Paris 2024
ParalympicsGB’s Jaco van Gass, Lizzi Jordan and Tully Kearney also won golds on day two
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The Paralympic Games kicked off in fine fashion on Thursday as the action got underway at Paris 2024.
And day two was another golden day for Paralympics GB who added to their medal tally with incredible performances in the pool and on the velodrome track.
Blaine Hunt started the medal rush with a silver in the men’s C4-5 1000m time trial at the velodrome before Matt Robertson won bronze in the men’s C2 3000m individual pursuit. Jaco van Gass then defeated GB teammate Finlay Graham in the C3 3000m individual pursuit to claim ParalympicsGB’s first gold medal of the day with Graham also adding a silver.
Elizabeth Jordon and pilot Dannielle Khan were also victorious as they won Britain’s fourth gold of the Games win the women’s B 1000m time trial while Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl also won bronze.
In the pool, Tully Kearney added to the gold medley she won in the women’s S5 200m freestyle yesterday by triumphing in the 100m event this afternoon and Maisie Summers-Newton defended her title in the women’s SM6 200m medley.
Elsewhere, Zachary Shaw qualified for the final of the men’s T12 100m, while team-mate Eden Rainbow-Cooper also progressed in the women’s T54 5000m.
Follow all the action, latest results and medals from Paris 2024 in our live blog below:
Britain knocked out in table-tennis quarter-final thriller
Agony for the British duo! WillBayley and MartinPerry fought back so well to win games three and four and force a decider, which went to 9-9, but the French pair won the next two points to clinch their place in the semis. Smiles all round from the players who know they were involved in a thriller there, and the home fans are understandably going bonkers for that result.
Dutch sweep up in the pool
Over at La Defense Arena, a great few minutes for Netherlands in the pool. First, Liesette Bruinsma won gold in the women’s 400m freestyle (S11), before world record holder Chantalle Zijderveld clinched gold in the women’s 100m breaststroke final (SB9). China took silver in both races.
Men’s table-tennis quarter-final
Bayley and Perry have gathered some real momentum now, winning games three and four to take this epic match to a decider. The home crowd is starting to get a little nervous...
Men’s table-tennis quarter-final
Britain’s Will Bayley and Martin Perry are taking on France in a boisterous atmosphere in the table-tennis arena, in the men’s MD14 doubles quarter-finals. The British duo are two games down and needing to win the remaining three to pull off a major comeback, but they are on the way here, leading 9-6 in the third and needing only two more points to pinch the third game.
Swimming tonight at Paris 2024
Still to come tonight in the pool:
- Men’s 100m Breaststroke SB9 - Final
- Women’s 100m Breaststroke SB9 - Final
- Men’s 100m Backstroke S13 - Final
- Women’s 100m Backstroke S13 - Final
- Men’s 100m Breaststroke SB8 - Final
- Women’s 100m Breaststroke SB8 - Final
- Mixed 4x50m Freestyle 20pts Relay – Final
Humphrey twins finish sixth and eighth
It’s a rare sight that twims compete in the same race at the highest level but that’s just what Eliza and Scarlett Humphrey are doing in Paris for ParalympicsGB.
The 19-year-old sisters raced in the women’s S11 400m freestyle final with Scarlett finishing sixth and Eliza eighth in a very strong field.
A good learning curve for the swimmers.
Success in the pool for Paralympics GB
Munro reflects on Paris campaign
Beth Munro got a pep talk from her family and friends after a shock loss to China’s Yao Yanin in the taekwondo quarter-final earlier today which ended her gold medal chance.
Having failed to make it through the repechage Munro addressed her time in Paris saying: “I gave them a call in between because of the element of guilt and disappointment - you feel like you’ve let people down.
“The reassurance from my mum was ‘I’m always going to be proud of you whatever happens’ and I suppose you just need to hear that from your mum sometimes.”
Asked if she would go to the Los Angeles Paralympics in 2028, Munro replied: “I’ve got a good few weeks off now to go away and reflect.
“If come those five or six weeks I’ve got that burning desire, which I suppose being competitive I will, you might see me in the near future, definitely.”
Kearney winning a second gold in Paris
Tully Kearney won her second gold medal in Paris in the women’s 100m freestyle and she spoke to Channel 4 afterwards saying:
“[It’s] pretty incredible. I was a bit concerned about this one. To retain my title means everything to me. It was such a late night [yesterday] and early start and not long in between to rest. It was really hard for all of us who swam last night to keep the energy up.
“This crowd is incredible. Because I am the first event tonight, there’s way more people here than there were yesterday. They gave me that big push.
“No definitely not. I’m just so grateful for the team for helping me get here and for everyone that’s helped us get here.”
Reaction from Maisie Summers-Newton:
“I was really nervous. I come with a lot of self-doubt, no matter how hard we train in the pool, no matter how well I swim throughout the season.
“When I got in and I could see how close I was to some of the girls, that are usually ahead of me on the fly and on the back, I thought ‘you’re in a really good place here’.
“I just can’t believe it. It’s been such an amazing three years since Tokyo. Finishing my university degree, carrying on my swimming alongside that and now defending my Paralympic title.”
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