1 September 2021
Today in Tokyo - Day 8
It was another golden day for ParalympicsGB as David Smith led the way in dramatic fashion.
Smith managed to retain his Paralympic boccia title – the 30th British gold medal of the Games – while Rebecca Redfern caught the hearts of the nation with her silver medal performance in the pool, dedicating it to her one-year-old son on day eight of the Paralympics.
If you missed any of the action, here’s what happened today.
Emotional Smith claims dramatic gold
David Smith secured an emotional defence of his Paralympic boccia title in Tokyo.
Smith beat Malaysia’s Chew Wei Lun in a tense thriller, going behind in the opening end before showing his class to secure a 4-2 victory.
The win was his fifth medal, having also won team gold in Beijing, and means he overtakes mentor and former team-mate Nigel Murray as ParalympicsGB’s greatest boccia player.
Rebecca Redfern gave birth to son Patrick last July
Redfern dedicates silver to baby boy
Rebecca Redfern will bring a silver medal back to her one-year-old son Patrick after a thrilling 100m breaststroke S13 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
The 21-year-old gave birth to Patrick last July and acknowledges that the Covid delay had allowed her to compete at her second Paralympic Games, having also won silver in this event in Rio.
Meanwhile, Zara Mullooly narrowly missed out on the medal in the 400m freestyle S10 as she came home in fourth.
Kinghorn desperate for more after sprint bronze
Sammi Kinghorn ended her wait for Games glory with bronze to give ParalympicsGB a first women’s 100m T53 medal since 2004.
Kinghorn finished fifth in the event on Paralympic debut at Rio 2016 and was fourth over 800m earlier this week.
But she wasn’t missing out on the podium this time around, finishing third behind Chinese pair Gao Fang and Zhou Hongzhuan.
Rumary secures debut archery bronze
Victoria Rumary fired her way to bronze on her ParalympicsGB debut in Tokyo.
Rumary got the better of United States’ Lia Coryell 131-123 to take the final spot on the Paralympic podium having earlier lost out in the women’s individual W1 semi-finals.
Paul Karabardak beat Alvaro Valera for the first time at the 13th attempt
Karabardak seals memorable comeback in team table tennis
Paul Karabardak held his nerve against world number one Alvaro Valera as ParalympicsGB edged a thrilling semi-final in the class 6-7 team table tennis.
Karabardak imitated partner Will Bayley as the Brits bounced back from losing a heart-breaking doubles match to reach the final by seeing off Spain.
There were also bronzes for Great Britain in the table tennis for class 4-5 team Sue Bailey and Megan Shackleton, as well as the class 8 team, made up of Ross Wilson, Aaron McKibbin and Billy Shilton.
Comeback kings deliver again to reach wheelchair basketball semi-finals
ParalympicsGB roared into the men’s wheelchair basketball semi-finals with another brilliant comeback to see off Canada 66-52.
GB trailed 42-34 midway through the third quarter but scored 24 points in the last to seal their safe passage to the last four, guaranteeing their place in Sunday’s medal matches.
Player-coach Gaz Choudhry (middle) top-scored with 21 points
Racquet success in tennis and badminton
Reigning wheelchair tennis champion Gordon Reid and Rio silver medallist Alfie Hewett both played their way into the singles semi-finals, giving Great Britain a guaranteed place on the podium.
And Daniel Bethell had a victorious start to his Paralympic debut on the opening day of the men’s singles badminton SL3 class, with a 2-0 win over Japan’s Daisuke Fujihara.
Dame Sarah Storey could make it 17 Paralympic gold medals
Storey goes for history
There is no question what the biggest storyline is on Thursday as Dame Sarah Storey looks to move clear as the most successful Paralympian of all time.
She will hope to win her 17th gold medal, moving clear of Mike Kenny with the record for a British athlete when she goes in the C4-5 road race (9:30am BST), with Crystal Lane-Wright also looking to add to the two silver medals she has picked in Tokyo.
In the men’s C1-3 road race (9:48am BST) a trio of British riders will look to make the podium as Jaco van Gass, Ben Watson and Fin Graham having all won medals here already.
Elsewhere, Reece Dunn could win his fourth Paralympic gold when he goes in the 100m backstroke S14 (heats 2:09am BST, final 10:04am BST), while Maisie Summers-Newton and Ellie Simmonds will go head-to-head once again in the 400m freestyle S6 (heats at 1:15am BST, final at 9:11am BST).
On the track, Libby Clegg will start the defence of her 200m T11 title (2:26am BST), while Dan Greaves goes for a medal in the F64 discus (11:05am BST) for the sixth successive Games.
And Sophie Kamlish begins her 100m T64 campaign (12:55pm BST), having been crowned world champion in the event in London in 2017.
The heats of the canoeing begin at the Sea Forest Waterway where Emma Wiggs is going in the VL2 (1:40am BST) and the KL2 (3am BST), the latter alongside Charlotte Henshaw, a former Paralympic medallist in swimming who has since converted to canoeing.
Laura Sugar also won a Paralympic medal in Rio, in athletics, but she too has switched to canoeing and goes in the KL3 (3:20am BST).
It is also a big day for the wheelchair tennis as Lucy Shuker and Jordanne Whiley play their women’s doubles semi-final, with Whiley also competing in singles at the same stage. And Gordon Reid and Alfie Hewett will hope to set up a repeat of the Rio final when they play their respective men’s singles semi-finals (play begins at 2am BST).
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