Paris Paralympics 2024: Hannah Cockroft wins 100m gold again on record-breaking day for Great Britain
Paris Paralympics 2024: Hannah Cockroft wins 100m gold again on record-breaking day for Great Britain
Wheelchair racer Hannah Cockroft cruised to the eighth Paralympic title of her glittering career by producing a dominant display in the women's T34 100m final.
Cockroft was a class above her rivals and delivered Great Britain's first athletics gold of the Paris Games in a time of 16.8 seconds. Compatriot Kare Adenegan claimed silver at Stade de France, finishing in 17.99 secs.
Cockroft, who made her debut at London 2012, is unbeaten at the Paralympics and confidently declared herself the person to beat before travelling to France.
The 16-time world champion once again delivered in devastating fashion to move within three golds of Britain's greatest wheelchair racer Tanni Grey-Thompson.
It formed part of a record-breaking day for ParalympicsGB, the tally of 12 gold medals on Sunday the most they have won on a single day at the Paralympics this century.
Sabrina Fortune won the the women's F20 shot put title, with a world record throw of 15.12m.
Maisie Summers-Newton picked up her second gold in Paris before Brock Whiston stormed to a maiden Paralympic title on another triumphant evening for Great Britain's swimmers.
Summers-Newton, who retained the SM6 200 metres individual medley title on Friday, became a double champion for the second successive Games by successfully defending the SB6 100 breaststroke crown.
Whiston then battled back to win the SM8 200m individual medley in two minutes 40.37 seconds, having trailed compatriot Alice Tai by more than 10 seconds at the halfway point.
Tai secured bronze behind Russian Viksoriia Ishchiulova to add to the 100m backstroke gold she claimed on Saturday.
Kadeena Cox secured Paralympic redemption by retaining the mixed team sprint title alongside Jaco van Gass and Jody Cundy as Great Britain added three more golds on the final day of track cycling in Paris.
The 33-year-old was left distraught on day one of the Games when her eight-year reign as C4-5 time trial champion agonisingly ended following a fall on the first bend of her final.
Back at the velodrome three days on, Cox fared considerably better, teaming up with fellow multiple gold medallists Van Gass and Cundy to comfortably keep hold of the C1-5 crown claimed at Tokyo 2020.
The trio were just 0.159 seconds outside the world-record pace they registered in Japan three years ago and 1.826 seconds faster than silver medallists Spain.
"It was hard to get out there and I'm grateful to these boys, the rest of the team, my family, everyone who messaged me to get me out there and have the confidence to get on the start line," said Cox.
Earlier, James Ball and tandem pilot Steffan Lloyd clinched gold for Britain in the men's B 1000m time trial, before Sophie Unwin and pilot Jenny Holl topped the podium in the women's B 3000m individual pursuit.
Reference: Evening Standard: Story by Ed Elliot