Paralympics day three: Maria Lyle adds to medal tally with 100m bronze

Great Britain’s Kadeena Cox smashed the world record as she retained her C4-5 500m time trial title and there were swimming golds for Hannah Russell and Reece Dunn on day three at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Multi-sport athlete Cox, who won gold in cycling and athletics at Rio 2016, crossed the line in 34.812, which was reduced to a real time of 34.433 due to her being in the lower of the two classifications.

Canadian Kate O’Brien – a fellow C4 rider, who held the previous global best – finished just over a second slower at the Izu Velodrome.

In the pool defending champion Russell held off the challenge of Russian Paralympic Committee rival Daria Pikalova to win the women’s S12 100m backstroke in 1:08.44.

Reece Dunn then claimed his first Paralympic title with gold in the men’s S14 200m freestyle final.

There was further British medals in the pool with Bethany Firth taking silver in the  women’s 200m freestyle S14 final behind Valeriia Shabalina of the Russian Paralympic Committee, with Jessica-Jane Applegate taking the bronze. Stephen Clegg claimed a bronze medal in the men’s 100m backstroke S12 final.

Olivia Broome claimed a powerlifting bronze in the women’s -50kg class and there was a wheelchair fencing bronze in the men’s team epee for British trio Dimitri Coutya, Piers Gulliver and Oliver Lam-Watson.

Natasha Baker delivered Britain’s final medal of the day, claiming silver in equestrian’s dressage individual test.

Baker scored 76.265 on Keystone Dawn Chorus ahead of Denmark’s Tobias Thorning Jorgensen, who claimed gold on Jolene Hill with 78.971.

Earlier former soldier Jaco Van Gass broke his second world record in as many days but had to settle for third place in the men’s C1-3 1000m time trial.

The Afghanistan veteran, who powered to 3000m individual pursuit gold on Thursday, finished in 1:05.569.

Yet with the event featuring athletes from different classifications, the unprecedented time of C3 athlete Van Gass was not sufficient for another trip to the top of the podium.

That honour went to China’s Li Zhangyu, a C1 rider, whose real time of 1:08.347 was reduced to a factored time of 1:05.569 due to the greater severity of his impairment, with France’s Alexandre Leaute claiming silver.

Maria Lyle delivered a 100m bronze for Great Britain on the track.

Lyle, who took home three medals at the Rio Games, added to Britain’s tally on Friday with third place in the T35 100m.

It was a season’s best 14.18 seconds for the 21-year-old, beaten by China’s Xia Zhou and Australia’s Isis Holt.

Great Britain’s Maria Lyle (centre) in action in the Women’s 100m – T35 Final at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (John Walton/PA)

Picture of the day

Social media moment

Norway’s Salum Ageze Kashafali clearly had energy left to spare after setting a Paralympic record in the T12 100m.

Figure of the day

What’s coming up on day four?

There are strong British medal hopes in the triathlon on Saturday. In the PTV1 events world number one ranked Dave Ellis goes in the men’s race and Rio silver medallist Alison Peasgood in the women’s while Fran Brown competes in the PTS2.  On the track, four-time world champion Sophie Hahn will be favourite for the T38 100m title. She, Olivia Breen and Ali Smith have morning heats ahead of the  final scheduled to start at midday UK time. Thomas Young tackles the men’s T38 100m while Steph Reid competes in the women’s T64 long jump final. Track cycling concludes with Jody Cundy, Kadeena Cox and Jaco Van Gass racing in the mixed team sprint and Neil Fachie and wife Lora gunning for gold in the men’s 1000m time trial and women’s 3000m respectively. In the pool, there are strong British medal hopes in the mixed 4x100m S14 freestyle relay while Maisie Summers-Newton and Grace Harvey go in the women’s SB6 100m breaststroke and SB5 100m breaststroke respectively.