“I wasn’t able to take my family to the Olympics because it was too expensive, but we grabbed the chance to see the Paralympics because the price of the tickets was so much lower”, said a 42-year-old Rio resident who only gave his name as Marco, attending the games with his wife and three daughters.
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But when the 24-year-old bagged her breakthrough solo swimming win of the Games with a Paralympic record in the women’s S9 100m backstroke on Friday (Saturday AEST), those fears were put to rest.
Baker had watched as team-mate and friend Sophie Wells won grade-four dressage gold for Britain on Wednesday, and ensured that she would be on the top step of the grade-two podium with a commanding performance. Walker brought the total tally to 123.
Their successes take Great Britain’s gold medal haul to 49 and a 50 will be guaranteed on Friday when Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett meet in the wheelchair tennis final. Class 6-8 bronze in the team table tennis – for Will Bayley, Aaron McKibbin and Ross Wilson – saw Britain’s total rise to 119 before Cockroft and Adenegan delivered. In 2012 I was fortunate enough to get silver and bronze but I’ve finally done it and got gold and all the hard work has paid off.
Dunham also finished as runner up to Christiansen in the Individual Championship while she was also part of the gold-medal winning team. It’s just incredible and we all feel so good.
While the bronze medal consists of 16 tiny steel balls, making the lowest sound, the silver medals have 20 balls and the golds have 28, producing the loudest noise.
“We came to these Games with a team of 264 of the best prepared athletes that Great Britain has ever produced, ready to take on the best in the world on the greatest stage we have”.
Like the London bus, we have waited ages for an Olympic gold medal and then two come along at once, followed in short order by another.
“I was still questioning if I was worthy to be there heading in”, she said. She now has eight Paralympic golds and has competed in four games.
“My Dad passed away this year, and he was with me this week, definitely”.
“I can’t believe what’s just happened”.
It was a British one-two once again in the grade Ia freestyle.
“Sometimes I stop in front of my medals and think about what it took to get to that point”. Even previous Paralympic medallists have been forgotten over the years.
“He (Cabral) deserves to go out with a bang”.
“Before my accident I did not know anything about the Paralympics”, said Al Aryani, a former captain in the Armed Forces.
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He had to be content with third in Rio as David Blair of the United States won with a world record throw of 64.11 metres.
