In a weekend on which the Olympic Park
welcomed its 3,000,000th visitor, there were records galore and
incredible sport as ParalympicsGB won 12 gold medals, taking the
team to second in the medal table.
On Sunday evening, a full house in the Olympic
Stadium cheered David Weir to victory in the T54 5000m. It was a
truly amazing race and was the first of four events Weir is
competing in during London 2012. On Saturday, Richard Whitehead
took gold in the T42 200m, breaking his own world record.
There was another tremendous performance from
Aled Davies who, not satisfied with the bronze he took in the shot
put earlier in the Games, won gold in F42 discus after five throws
and sealed the deal with a British record on his sixth throw.
In the Aquatics Centre 17-year-old Ellie
Simmond, who won the nation’s heart in Beijing, defended her 400m
freestyle title winning with a new world record on Saturday while
on Sunday Jessica-Jane Appleton took gold in the S14 200m freestyle
with a Paralympic record. The weekend also saw Hannah Russell, a
graduate of Sport England-funded Playground to Podium programme,
add to the silver she won on Thursday with a bronze in the S12 100m
fly.
It was also a great weekend for the Clegg
family, with first brother James taking bronze in the male S12 100m
fly and a few hours later in the Olympic Stadium sister Libby
winning silver in the T12 100m final in a personal best time.
There was something of a family Storey too
over in the Velodrome. Sarah Storey won the C5 Pursuit final, her
second gold of the London Games and ninth Paralympic medal in six
Games. The Storeys' already full mantelpiece will also have to make
room for the gold her husband Barney Storey won piloting Neil
Fachie to victory in the 1km time trial and the silver they picked
up in the men’s individual B sprint. The duo were beaten by
PatalympicGB teammates Anthony Kappes and his pilot, Craig
MacLean.
Dressage fans had lots to cheer about
as well. Natasha Baker took gold in the individual grade II at
Greenwich on her Paralympic debut and Sophie Christiansen won gold
in the individual 1a grade – her second of this Games. The
ParalympicGB victory in the team event gave veteran Paralympian Lee
Pearson took his 10th gold medal.
Finally over at Eton Dorney, mixed coxed four
Pamela Relph, Naomi Riches, David Smith, James Roe and cox Lily van
de Broecke took gold in their race on Sunday morning.
All in all a tremendous weekend of sport and
so much more to come.