Taekwondo history and swimming glory on Super Saturday

Saturday was certainly super at the Paralympics as taekwondo and swimming led the way on a golden day.

There was double delight at the Grand Palais, as Amy Truesdale and Matt Bush both won gold to mark ParalympicsGB’s first taekwondo victories.

Truesdale won by withdrawal with a minute to go after catching Uzbekistan’s Guljonoy Naimova with an head kick that was ruled unintentional.

The Chester fighter is the first ever to hold Paralympic, world and European titles at the same time.

“People who know me know that after Tokyo, the hardest fight is the one that I have every day in my mind and I smashed that so I’m grateful that was the fight that I won,” she said. “I can’t believe it, its unreal.”

Welshman Bush, who was selected for Tokyo but missed out due to a last-minute injury, totally dominated his +80kg final and beat neutral athlete Aliaskhab Ramazanov 5-0

Alice Tai and the swimming squad led the way at La Defense Arena.

Tai, Stephen Clegg and Will Ellard all struck gold inside 37 glorious minutes at the pool and sent records tumbling in the process.

Tai obliterated the competition in the women’s 100m backstroke just two years after choosing to have her right leg amputated below the knee to relieve her of constant pain, meaning she had to learn to swim again.

“The last three years have been crazy,” said the 25-year-old, who set a new Paralympic record.

“Just being here, I feel that I’ve made myself proud and everyone supporting me proud.

“A lot of people know that it has not been the easiest few years so to come here and swim a time that I’m really happy with just means so much and for that to get me my first individual gold at the Paralympics is super special.”

Clegg kicked things off in emphatic style as he smashed the men’s 100m backstroke world record to claim a maiden Paralympic gold.

The Scot won the fourth Games medal of his career and could yet overhaul his sister Libby, who has five.

“The last three years have been spent revising my approach to the sport and rediscovering my love for the sport and it’s brought me here,” said Clegg.

His roommate Will Ellard swiftly followed with a gold and world record of his own in the men’s 200m freestyle.

In the women’s equivalent, Poppy Maskill also got her second medal of the Games, winning silver ahead of team-mate Louise Fiddes in bronze.

At the velodrome, Archie Atkinson cherished silver despite collapsing in a heap with gold in his grasp.

The 20-year-old smashed the 4km pursuit world record by five seconds in qualifying and looked nailed on for gold with less than a minute of the final to go.

But Atkinson was pushing so hard with two laps left that he agonisingly lost control on the top bend and fell to the bottom of the track.

“I dug as deep as I’ve ever dug and it showed,” said Atkinson, who vomited during a post-race interview.

“I just ran out of energy and went down but I’m so proud, so happy. A world record and a silver medal, I wouldn’t have believed that in my wildest dream.”

It was the ninth medal won by ParalympicsGB in track cycling with plenty of further chances on the final day of racing.

There was a compound bronze medal for archer Jodie Grinham, who competed while seven months pregnant.

Grinham, who felt the baby kicking in the last end of her quarter-final, beat compatriot and close friend Phoebe Paterson Pine 142-141 in a bronze medal match that went down to the final arrow.

“Jodie has defied so many odds and has been able to come out and produce a performance that is incredible,” said Paterson Pine, who won gold in Tokyo.

“She is getting towards the end of her pregnancy, she has done fantastically and worked really hard. We have known each other since 2014, we have basically grown up with each other. We will continue to push each other on and keep going.”

Elsewhere, Billy Shilton and Paul Karabardak won bronze in the table tennis men’s doubles.

Despite taking the lead in all three games, the British pair fell 11-9 11-9 11-7 to Thailand’s Rungroj Thainiyom and Phisit Wangphonphathanasiri in the doubles semi-final and claimed one of two bronze medals on offer.

“It is disappointing but we played superbly against Brazil, we’ve done really well and we can be pleased with that bronze,” said Karabardak. “It’s a great achievement.”