Paralympics day one: Dame Sarah Storey takes pursuit gold

Updated

Dame Sarah Storey set the ball rolling for ParalympicsGB by claiming the team’s first gold medal of the Games in the velodrome on Wednesday.

Having set a new world record en route to the final of the C5 3000m individual pursuit, beating her previous best by more than four seconds, Storey took less than two minutes to catch fellow Briton Crystal Lane-Wright in the decider.

In winning her country’s first Tokyo gold, Storey took her total haul to 15 Paralympic golds – one short of swimmer Mike Kenny’s British record – and a remarkable 26 medals overall.

Sarah Storey with her gold medal
Sarah Storey won her 15th Paralympic gold medal (Thomas Lovelock/OIS/PA)

The 43-year-old will have a chance to surpass Kenny next week when she attempts to defend her C5 time trial and C4-5 road race crowns.

Storey’s moment of glory was swiftly followed by a silver medal for visually impaired rider Steve Bate in the men’s B 4000m individual pursuit, beaten by Dutchman Tristan Bangma in the final.

At the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Plymouth’s Reece Dunn clinched silver in the S14 100m butterfly, while Aberdeen teenager Toni Shaw claimed bronze in the 400m freestyle S9.

ParalympicsGB’s wheelchair rugby team were 50-47 winners against Canada in their first pool phase game, while the women’s wheelchair basketball team were beaten 73-54 by the North American nation.

Picture of the day

Meghan Mahon of Canada collides with the feet of her team mate Amy Burk as the goalball competition started
Meghan Mahon of Canada collides with the feet of her team mate Amy Burk as the goalball competition started in Tokyo (Joe Toth for OIS/PA)

Social media moment

Storey picked up Paralympic gold number 15.

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