PARALYMPICS / Spotlight

Roll Britannia on final track day
By Lan Tian
China Daily/The Paralympian Staff Writer
Updated: 2008-09-11 14:17

 

Britain won three of four possible gold medals on the final day of Paralympic track cycling Wednesday, extending the country's remarkable domination of the meet to 12 gold and a silver from 21 events.

Runner-up Australia finished the meet with three gold, four silver and a bronze.

American cyclist Barbara Buchan beat Germany's Natalie Simanowski by 2.316 sec to win the first gold of the day in the 3km individual pursuit LC3-4/CP3.

It was the second title of the meet for the United States in the women's individual pursuit.

Briton Sarah Storey claimed the women's individual pursuit LC1-2/CP4 with a new world record of 3 min 36.637 sec. China won bronze when Dong Jingping edged out compatriot Ye Yaping by 5 sec.

Anthony Kappes and his pilot, Barney Storey, took Britain's second gold of the day in the men's B&VI sprint, relegating their Australian opponents, Ben Demery and pilot Shaun Hopkins, to second place.

In the final event, a British team brimming with gold medalists and world record breakers overcame China in the men's team sprint LC1-4 CP3/4 to take the country's track cycling tally to a dozen gold.

The team of double gold medalist Darren Kenny and single title winners Jody Cundy and Mark Bristow all set world records in their respective individual events and set off as hot favorites in the closing race, having gone 2 sec faster than their opponents in the qualifying round.

But China's trio of Zhang Kuidong, Zhang Lu and Zheng Yuanchao pushed the Britons all the way, only losing ground on the final lap and finishing second.

Britain's win made Kenny a triple gold medalist, while Cundy and Bristow joined teammate Simon Richardson as the proud owners of twin gold.

With its men and women taking gold in every event they entered, Britain made a unique Paralympic gold clean sweep.

"For us, the British cycling team, I think we exceeded what we expected - eight gold," said Kenny. "We've got 12."

Over the past four days at the Laoshan Velodrome, cyclists broke 20 world records in a total of 21 categories, more than at any previous Paralympics.

Road racers will take to the Olympic triathlon venue around north Beijing's Ming Tomb Reservoir from Thursday until Sunday.

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