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Wheelchair racer Kinghorn joins British Paralympics with stunning gold | Paris 2024 Paralympic Games
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Wheelchair racer Kinghorn joins British Paralympics with stunning gold | Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

Wheelchair racer Sammi Kinghorn contributed to GB’s Paris Paralympic success with a stunning T53 100m gold at Stade de France. Scottish athlete Kinghorn, who has won silver in the 800m and 1500m in recent days, sprinted home Swiss star Catherine Debrunner in a Paralympic record time of 15.64sec. The 28-year-old became the first non-Chinese athlete to win the title since Tanni Grey-Thompson in Athens 20 years ago.

Tears of joy streamed from her eyes as she greeted her family in the stands before dedicating the victory to her brother on his birthday. “I just can’t believe I did that,” she said. “It’s really amazing. This one is definitely for my brother.”

Zoe Newson had experienced the joy of bronze medals in London and Rio, then the pain of a fourth-place finish in Tokyo. But on Wednesday in Paris the 32-year-old took another step up the podium, winning silver in dramatic circumstances at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena.

On the first day of the powerlifting competition, she attempted the final lift of 109 kg that she needed for second place, but was initially ruled a violation. She and her team appealed and after a tense break, the silver medal was hers.

“I didn’t realise it,” Newson told the BBC of the decision. “It wasn’t on the screen, but we heard the crowd cheering. Then we saw it on the screen and lost it. My boy and my fiancé are in the audience, so I got quite emotional.”

In the pool, Poppy Maskill won her fourth medal of a very successful Games in the women’s 200m individual medley in the SM14, adding a silver to the silver and two gold medals the 19-year-old from Cheshire won on her Paralympic debut.

Maskill could still finish fifth in the 100m backstroke on Friday, but admitted the demands of the schedule are starting to take their toll. “It’s hard work,” she told Channel 4 after being beaten to gold by Valeriia Shabalina. “I just go back (to the athletes’ village), have a nap … and that’s all I do.”

Maskill and her British teammate Olivia Newman-Baronius were ahead after the opening lap, with Maskill pulling away in the backstroke. “I was trying to see what I had and what would happen,” she said. Shabalina came in just ahead of the breaststroke and held off the British swimmer, who hit the wall just 1.53 seconds behind.

Britain’s Poppy Maskill with her fourth medal of the Games. Photo: Zac Goodwin/PA

Rhys Darbey took silver in the men’s SM14 200m individual medley behind Canada’s Nicholas Bennett. The Welsh swimmer, making his Paralympic debut, adds the silver to the gold he earned as part of the S14 mixed 4x100m freestyle team on Sunday.

“I’m really happy with it,” he told Channel 4. “It’s my first individual race at the Games and to have come second, two out of two races where I’ve won a medal, I’m really proud of that.”

Alice Tai also won silver in the women’s S8 400m freestyle.

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Sophie Wells took bronze in the individual Grade V dressage at Versailles, her ninth Paralympic medal at her fourth Games, following gold and silver medals in London, Rio and Tokyo.

Tim Jeffery won bronze in the R9 mixed 50m rifle prone SH2 at the Châteauroux Shooting Centre. “The final was one of the hardest things I’ve done in a long time,” said the 28-year-old. “Hopefully this medal is the first of many.”

At the Stade de France, Karim Chan narrowly missed out on bronze in the men’s long jump T38. With his jump of 6.39 meters, he was only 1 cm behind number three José Lemos. The Colombian won gold last week in the javelin throw T38, achieving an unlikely double medal.

The British women’s wheelchair basketball team crashed out in the quarterfinals but gave the United States a scare. The British team led 50-49 with less than four minutes remaining before the bronze medalists from Tokyo broke through to win 59.52.

Andy Lapthorne and Greg Slade had to settle for silver in the wheelchair tennis quad doubles after a 6-1, 6-1 defeat to the dominant Dutch duo of Sam Schröder and Niels Vink. There was better news for Alfie Hewett, who reached the semi-finals of the men’s singles with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Ruben Spaargaren, but Gordon Reid lost his quarter-final 6-0, 7-6 (5) to Argentina’s Gustavo Fernández.