Tokyo Paralympics LIVE: Aled Davies retains shot put title after Hannah Cockroft wins seventh career gold
Follow all the action from day 11 of the Tokyo Paralympic Games
Great Britain made a strong start to day 11 of the Tokyo Paralympics, winning more para-canoeing gold through Laura Sugar in the KL3 event and Charlotte Henshaw in the KL2, with Emma Wiggs taking silver following her own title on day 10. Stuart Wood won bronze in the 200m VL3 para-canoeing event.
Meanwhile, Jordanne Whiley and Lucy Shuker came up short in their quest for wheelchair tennis doubles gold against the Netherlands, losing their final after Hannah Cockroft triumphed in the T34 800m for her seventh Paralympic title. Kare Adenegan won silver behind Cockroft. Men’s tennis doubles partners Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett faced off against one another in the singles bronze-medal match, with the former triumphing and refusing to celebrate.
Elsewhere, Dan Bethell lost his badminton SL3 singles final but claimed silver for Great Britain. Aled Sion Davies won a third Paralympic gold in the F63 shot put to retain his title, and Kadeena Cox came fourth in the women’s T38 400m final.
On day 10, GB won three gold medals and passed the 100-medal mark in Tokyo. Reid and Hewett came agonisingly close to winning their first Paralympics gold medal in the wheelchair tennis doubles but were defeated by France 7-5, 0-6, 7-6 (7-3) in a thrilling final. Owen Miller won a surprise gold in the men’s 1500m T20 on his Paralympics debut, then further success in the Olympic Stadium as Jonathan Broom-Edwards won gold in the men’s high jump T64 and Hannah Taunton claimed bronze in the women’s 1500m T20 in wet conditions in Tokyo. Elsewhere, Wiggs won ParalympicsGB’s first gold in the VL2 discipline of para-canoe, while teammate Jeanette Chippington claimed bronze in the same event.
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Paralympics closing ceremony
After six athletes from the Tokyo Paralympics were elected to the IPC’s athletes’ council, the performance element of the closing ceremony kicks back into life.
The eyes are drawn to the colourful costumes and performers on unicycles, which are nature-themed to demonstrate a link between urban and rural landscapes.
It’s all part of the show which is titled, “A Harmonious Cacophony”, which is the central theme of the closing ceremony.
Paralympics closing ceremony: GB’s David Smith carries flag
Here’s the moment David Smith carried the ParalympicsGB flag into the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.
What an honour for the 32-year-old boccia champion.
Paralympics closing ceremony recognises I’mPOSSIBLE Award
The Paralympics closing ceremony is now recognising athletes and organisations who have made significant contributions to their society by promoting inclusion through sport .
The I’mPOSSIBLE Award has recognised Lassam Katongo of Zambia, the Lilongwe LEA School in Malawi and the Kiyomidai Elementary School in Chiba, Japan for their contributions.
Photos from the Paralympics closing ceremony
Some exceptional images to close what has been a hugely meaningful and successful Games for so many.
The Olympic Stadium has been the setting for so many of those moments which will live long in the memory after a summer in Tokyo.
ParalympicsGB enters the Tokyo Olympic Stadium with David Smith as flag-bearer
David Smith, the most successful Paralympic Boccia player in British history, is carrying the Union Jack for Paralympics GB as a small number of athletes enter the arena alongside him.
What a ten days it has been for the British squad, which secured second-place in the standings earlier this morning after hitting a total of 124 medals.
That red-and-blue mohawk really is one of the defining images of the Games, isn’t it?
Athletes parade begins in Tokyo Olympic Stadium
The parade of athletes through the stadium is now taking place, with flags flying while dancers line the running track.
The refugee Paralympic team is first, followed by Iceland and Ireland. Applause is coming from the modest crowd of other athletes, media and dignitaries who have been allowed entry to the stadium.
It’s great to see so many of those athletes who took part in the Games, in such difficult circumstances without crowds, having one last moment of glory in front of the watching world.
Japanese flag is hoisted by hero athletes and healthcare workers
Fumihito Prince Akishino, Crown Prince of Japan has entered the arena alongside International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons, with both set to address the event later in the afternoon.
The national flag of Japan is currently being carried into the arena by six of the country’s citizens, including medal-winning athletes from this summer’s Paralympics and and Olympics, and healthcare staff who have worked to protect the country throughout the pandemic.
It is important to remember of course that not only were these Games delayed by a year, but their eventual hosting still faced significant opposition from the Japanese public, who have been living under strict restrictions throughout the summer.
Closing ceremony brings youth culture to the fore
The first in-stadium portion of the closing ceremony is showing-off Japanese urban youth culture, complete with a teenage DJ using a launchpad, guitar and keyboard players and a break-dancer who suffers from retinal pigment degeneration.
There’s also somebody spinning around on his own head at quite a pace. He apparently holds the world record for most hands-free head rotations in 60 seconds. I feel nauseated just watching, never mind trying it.
lt really is a shame that, although understandably, the people of Tokyo haven’t been able to be a bigger part of both the Paralympics and Olympics earlier this summer. Of course, the achievements of athletes in both Games have been spectacular, but people, crowds and culture are such a huge part of the Games, and their role has undoubtedly been lessened this time around.
Grand finale of Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games is underway
The show-stopper event set to round-off the summer’s Paralympic Games in Tokyo is now beginning in the Japan National Stadium.
A flurry of fireworks, no doubt the first of many, has led into a montage of some of the Games’ most spectacular moments across all sports. The joy on the faces of so many of these athletes, whose preparation for the competition was so badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, is a joy to behold.
This VT is also highlighting the influence of the Games on the city of Tokyo itself, with Japanese citizens performing a variety of dances and musical pieces with the skyline lit up in the background.
Triathlon gold medal hasn’t settled in yet for GB winner Lauren Steadman
Triathlon gold medallist Lauren Steadman says the reality of her triumph in Tokyo hasn’t quite settled yet ahead of the Paralympics closing ceremony.
“I have dreamed of that for many, many years, but I don’t think it’s quite hit home yet,” she told Channel 4’s live coverage. “Maybe once I’ve got off the plane and I’m with my family again. That moment is going to stay with me forever. “
The 28-year-old, who took PTS5 silver in Rio before going one better this time around, spoke about how difficult the conditions were.
“The weather was really hot and the humidity was over 85%. It was hard to set a pace to manage each part of the triathlon.
“I remember being on that last run lap and thinking, ‘Lauren, how much do you want this? How much have you got left to give?’”
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