29 August 2021
Today in Tokyo - Day 5
ParalympicsGB athletes had another medal rush of sporting success, with Great Britain consolidating their place in second in the medal table.
Seven golds were added to the Great Britain tally on day five in Tokyo, with a world record broken on the athletics track by Hannah Cockcroft, a historic Paralympic title for the wheelchair rugby team, and golds in rowing, equestrian, judo and triathlon.
If you missed any of the action, here’s what happened today.
Hannah Cockroft smashed her own world record to win a sixth Paralympic gold medal and lead a British one-two with Kare Adenegan in the women’s 100m T34.
The Hurricane blew through Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium at all-time high speed, picking up from the 40-metre mark to win in a time of 16.39 seconds.
It was the eighth time Cockroft has broken a world record this year and another golden chapter for the wheelchair racing great.
Maria Lyle’s Paralympic results were exactly the same as Rio 2016 as she repeated her T35 sprint double with 200m bronze in Tokyo.
Historic success in wheelchair rugby
Jim Roberts provided the firepower as ParalympicsGB claimed their first-ever wheelchair rugby medal - and it was a gold too.
Stuart Robinson celebrates an historic gold in wheelchair rugby
Roberts top scored with 24 tries while Stuart Robinson weighed in with 14 as Great Britain took an early lead against the United States and never let it go.
In the group stages against the same opponents, they were leading by five tries but finally slipped to a narrow defeat, this time – with the pressure turned up to the max – they held their nerve for a stunning 54-49 victory.
Unexpected gold in team dressage
You would think that after notching an incredible 13th Paralympic gold medal, that Sir Lee Pearson knows what he is doing as well as anyone on a horse.
And yet after a shock dressage team test to music gold in Tokyo, the 47-year-old was adamant it was not the case.
He joked: “We just look like we know what we’re doing when really we didn’t!”
Chris Skelley had to give up his job as a mechanic when his eyesight deteriorated
Disbelief for Skelley at judo gold
Chris Skelley was in disbelief at becoming a Paralympic champion after an incredible performance saw him claim gold in the men’s -100kg judo.
Skelley, who has a visual impairment and is classified as a B2 athlete, finished a heart-breaking fifth in Rio five years ago, but made amends by beating American Ben Goodrich by waza-ari in the gold medal bout in Tokyo.
The World No.1, who beat Uzbekistan’s Sharif Khalilov in the quarter-final and Oliver Upmann of Germany in the semi-finals, both by ippon, trained as a mechanic earlier in his life and had to stop after his eyesight deteriorated but was able to turn his hobby of judo into his passion.
ParalympicsGB dominated on the water, winning two gold medals on the final day of the Tokyo 2020 rowing regatta.
Mixed double sculls pair Lauren Rowles and Laurence Whiteley won gold in the PR2 event, while the PR3 mixed coxed four team defended their Paralympic title.
Steadman banishes Rio disappointment in style
Lauren Steadman put the disappointment of Rio behind her to secure a brilliant triathlon gold.
Steadman came home 41 seconds ahead of American Grace Norman in the women’s PTS5 category, while ParalympicsGB team-mate Claire Cashmore, another former swimmer turned triathlete, completed the podium in bronze.
In the men’s PTS5 race, George Peasgood took silver behind Germany’s Martin Schulz.
Lauren Steadman competed in Beijing and London in swimming
Ellie Challis is the youngest member of the ParalympicsGB squad in Tokyo and proved that experience isn’t everything as she claimed a silver medal at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
The 17-year-old set a new personal best in the final of the women’s 50m backstroke S3, in 55.11, to take the silver, while Louise Fiddes also claimed silver in the SB14 100m breaststroke and it was bronze for Scott Quin in the men’s race.
Silver linings for Bayley and fencing
Will Bayley was beaten but unbowed and cherished a Paralympic silver medal that he believed may never happen in the table tennis after suffering an ACL injury in 2019.
ParalympicsGB’s wheelchair fencing trio won a superb silver in the men’s team foil event to end a fairytale Tokyo 2020 for the sport with five medals.
Jordanne Whiley and Lucy Shuker are just one win away from another Paralympic wheelchair tennis medal after sailing into the semi-finals of the women’s doubles.
Archer Phoebe Paterson Pine set up a tantalising ⅛ elimination stage clash with ParalympicsGB team-mate Jess Stretton after overcoming nerves to win her first-round match in the women’s individual compound open.
Four-time Paralympic boccia medallist David Smith suffered a mixed day in the individual BC1 event with one victory and one defeat at Ariake Gymnastics Centre.
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Jonnie Peacock is going for a hat-trick of titles on Monday
Excitement builds into second week
After the excitement of a golden weekend, there is the prospect of more success entering the second week.
And perhaps no race will be bigger than Jonnie Peacock’s bid for a hat-trick of Paralympic titles. After his glorious victory in London and the repeat in Rio five years ago, he faces perhaps his toughest task yet in the 100m T64 final (12:43pm BST) where Germany’s Felix Streng is the fastest man in the world this year and set a Paralympic record in the heats.
It is a big day at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, with Rio bronze medallist Andrew Small one of three Brits going in the final of the 100m T33 (2:33am BST) along with Harri Jenkins and James Freeman.
World bronze medallist Kyron Duke will be the first man in action in the final of the shot put F41 (2:08am BST), while Ben Rowlings goes in the 100m T34 final (2:43am BST).
And David Weir is also back in action in the heats of the 1500m T54 (4:44am BST), along with Daniel Sidbury and Richard Chiassaro.
Away from the athletics, it is another big day in the pool as Ellie Robinson looks to retain the 50m butterfly S6 title she won in Rio (heats at 1:42am BST), with Grace Harvey also aiming to add to her silver on Saturday.
And another Ellie, Ellie Challis, is back again just 24 hours after the youngest member of the ParalympicsGB team won silver in the 50m backstroke. She goes in the 100m freestyle S3 (heats at 2:36am BST). And Rio champion Stephanie Millward is in action in the 100m backstroke S9 (heats at 1:19am BST).
Ellie Challis won silver in the 50m backstroke
In the archery there is an all-British affair in the 1⁄8 individual compound where Jessica Stretton takes on Phoebe Paterson Pine (1:51am BST), with the winner hoping to go all the way to the gold medal match (5:36am BST).
It is also a big day for the dressage after the team success. Lee Pearson, Natasha Baker and Sophie Wells, along with Georgia Wilson, are all in action in the individual freestyle starting with Wells (9:14am BST), then Baker (10:33am BST) and finally Pearson and Wilson (11:47am BST).
Former wheelchair basketball player Louise Sugden is making her return to the Paralympics in the powerlifting. She goes in the women’s -86kg final (5am BST).
Elsewhere the boccia continues with David Smith and Stephen McGuire among those in action while we are getting towards the business end of the week in the wheelchair tennis with big matches for the likes of Gordon Reid and Jordanne Whiley among others.
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