ParalympicsGB have roared into second place in the medals table after winning a flurry of events on day two of the Rio Paralympics.
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China’s Lu Dong took the silver after finishing 22 hundredths of a second behind her compatriot Song while Oksana Khrul of Ukraine claimed the bronze medal with a time of 1:26.82.
China now leads the race in the Rio Paralympics medal tally with a total of 20 medals won, including seven gold, nine silver, and four bronze medals.
Another Chinese podium sweep came in the men’s 50m butterfly S6 as Paralympic champion Xu Qing improved on the world record by 0.01 seconds with a time of 29.89.
“My coach and I discussed this beforehand and it was about going out comfortably and steady”. But for every first time gold medallist there was a Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt or Laura Trott – athletes that had been there and done it, before repeating their achievements in Rio. This is her first Paralympics after falling short of qualifying for London 2012.
Referring to his training group‚ Paul said: “It’s such a competitive group and you get there at 5am and just see everyone there with the same goal as you”. World records getting broken.
“It means so much to come here and four years later to still have this”.
Hennadii Boiko smashed the world record in the men’s 100m backstroke S1 with his time of 2:08.01 slicing more than 15 seconds off his own previous mark from this year’s European Open Championships.
Moments later Georgina Hermitage won the T37 100m final at the Olympic Stadium, a nd in the next final Sophie Hahn claimed victory in the T38 100m.
Hermitage’s success was Britain’s first track and field gold of the games. “I am so excited to win the first gold medal for U.S. swimming and we are going to kill it for the rest of the week”.
“I’m really looking forward to it and I hope to make the history I set out to make”, said the 25-year-old from Leeds, who had a stroke in May 2014.
“It hit me on my way to the call room that I was at the Paralympics‚” she raved.
Robinson won her maiden Paralympic title. Like Ellie Simmonds, the Northampton schoolgirl has achondroplasia. Now she too has a Paralympic gold.
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Ireland’s first medals arrived on day two.
