LONDON: Britain’s Sarah Storey yesterday clinched the women’s C4/5 500m time-trial for her second gold of the Paralympics and the ninth of her Games career, as her husband had a part to play in another victory.
The 33-year-old, who won five swimming golds before switching to cycling, won in a new personal best of 36.997secs, with Jennifer Schuble of the United States in silver and Ruan Jianping of China taking bronze.
Storey’s husband, Barney, 34, had earlier guided Neil Fachie to gold in the men’s blind and visually impaired 1km time-trial in a new world record time of 1min 01.351secs.
Spain’s Jose Enrique Porto and Jose Antonio Villanueva took silver while Rinne Oost and Patrick Bos, of the Netherlands, won bronze.
Sarah Storey described the win as “just incredible,” as she now switches to the road races in a bid to equal wheelchair racer Tanni Grey-Thompson’s British women’s record of 11 Paralympic golds.
And she said of her husband: “It’s amazing. I’m so proud of him and all he has achieved.” In the mens’ C4 individual pursuit over 4km, Carol-Eduard Novak of Romania, a silver medalist in Beijing, clocked 4min 42.000secs to take gold from the Czech Republic’s defending champion Jiri Jezek, while Britain’s Jody Cundy took bronze.
(Click here to see the medal standings)
Cundy’s medal came a day after he reacted angrily to being disqualified in his favored event the C4 1km individual pursuit, at which he had been unbeaten since 2006.
But he said the experience — and the 6,000-strong crowd — had spurred him on as he took the race from Colombia’s Diego German Duenas Gomez.
“I think if it had been one more lap I might have been struggling, I was pretty much on my last legs when I got near his rear wheel,” the British rider said.
“But with that crowd cheering me on that last lap, it was one of the most painful I’ve done, but one of the easiest I’ve done as well.” In the men’s C5 equivalent, Michael Gallagher gave Australia another medal, beating Britain’s Jon-Allan Butterworth into silver, with Lui Xinyang taking bronze.
British-born Gallagher, 33, said of his win: “It’s been four years in the making; I wasn’t quite happy with how I rode in Beijing. I wanted to come here and ride at my best.
“We went out on the same schedule as we looked to do in qualifying, but the Brit came out a bit harder and put pressure on us.
“It was great fun. The crowd was cheering really well and created a great atmosphere, so I didn’t take it that they were cheering him on, they were cheering us both racing each other.” China also got another cycling gold in the shape of He Yin, who took the women’s C1-2-3 500m time-trial from Dutch rider Alyda Norbruis and Australia’s Jayme Paris.
As tennis’s elite ply their trade at the US Open, a few may be casting envious glances at Dutch Paralympian Esther Vergeer who notched a 466th consecutive victory in the first round of the wheelchair competition on Saturday.
The Dutch athlete has not lost a singles match since 2003, has won 42 singles and doubles grand slam titles and began the defense of the gold medal she won in Beijing four years ago with a 6-0, 6-0 victory against Japan’s Kanako Domori.
From 2004 to 2006 she won 250 consecutive sets and in the history of sport, she is second only to squash king Jahangir Khan, who won 555 consecutive matches from 1981 to 1986.
“Everybody talks about this record and asks me if I feel the pressure,” Vergeer said before her first round match.
“Maybe I do feel it more than ever in the Paralympics because I haven’t lost for so long.
“Everybody expects me to win gold and for it to be easy, but it’s not and maybe the mental part is the toughest part.” Vergeer has won three Paralympic singles titles to add to her 21 grand slam singles crowns. She also has two paralympic doubles golds.
Djibouti’s only competitor at the Paralympics was roared over the finish line on Saturday, as he finished the men’s T46 1,500m more than seven minutes after the winner.
Houssein Omar Hassan limped home in a time of 11mins 23.50secs in Saturday morning’s heat, which was won by Algeria’s Samir Nouioua in 3mins 57.27secs.
The 35-year-old reportedly told officials after the race that he hurt his achilles early in the race but was determined to finish as he was the east African nation’s only participant at the Games.
