Schrager delivers first medal while Cox rues 'rollercoaster' day

Kadeena Cox crashed out of the Paralympic time trial before a team-mate who idolises her won ParalympicsGB’s first medal of the Games.

Daphne Schrager took silver in the women’s C1-3 3000m individual pursuit, after finishing second to China’s Xiaomei Wang in the final.

Schrager’s medal was presented to her by film star Jackie Chan, a special ambassador for the International Paralympic Committee, and the 23-year-old was in tears on the podium.

“I wasn’t even allowed to ride a bike as a kid,” said Schrager, who has cerebral palsy. “They thought I’d just fall off and plough into a tree.

“I’ve started from scratch and it has been a right journey. The improvement I have made on the programme has been amazing and I’m so lucky to be one of the people on National Lottery funding.

“It was just insane [getting a medal from Jackie Chan]. He’s been in so many movies, I was just like, ‘oh my god you’re real’.

“I promised my mum I wouldn’t cry on the podium, then I did - one of those things.”

World record holder Cox was poised to strike for a medal but slipped and fell on the first turn of the C4-5 500m time trial final.

It became clear that there had been no mechanical issue which, under UCI rules, meant that she was not allowed a restart and Dutch rider Caroline Groot won gold.

“It was a weird one, I didn’t feel comfortable in the gate,” said the Leeds native. “With a condition like mine, riding can’t always be perfect and it was all over the shop.”

Trailblazer Cox battled a barrage of injuries to make the Games a decade after an MS diagnosis changed her life. She only got back on the bike two weeks ago after a recent calf tear and relapse of the disorder.

“It has been a rollercoaster, I guess that’s MS,” said Cox. “The fact that I got here was amazing in itself, I’m just gutted that I was able to ride a ride that was pretty great in the first round and then not go out there and show what I’m capable of.”

Cox first pierced the public consciousness at Rio 2016, where she reached the podium in athletics and cycling to become the first British athlete in 32 years to win medals in multiple sports.

In doing so, she inspired Schrager to swap track sprinting for the velodrome and now the 23-year-old has a Paralympic silver medal to her name.

Schrager was devastated to see her idol Cox crash out, with the Leeds native hoping to be back for the mixed relay event.

“Kadeena was the one that got me into this,” said Schrager. “She’s a great human so she will be back, we’ll pick her up as a team and she’ll come and prove what she’s worth.”

Tandem pair Steve Bate and Chris Latham also claimed silver on a packed opening day at the velodrome.

The pair were outgunned by Tristan Bangma and Patrick Bos of the Netherlands in the final, but this was a fifth Paralympic medal for Bate, 47, who came close to retirement in 2022.

“The medal represents nine months of hard graft and a massive team effort,” he said.

“It’s disappointing for those guys in the team. I’m proud of the silver but I wanted to do it for those guys who have stood behind us and put this ride together for us.”