Great Britain secured a number of medals in Paris as Sabrina Fortune claimed gold and Kare Adenegan and Sami Kinghorn took silver.
Hannah Cockroft won her fourth straight T34 100m Paralympic title, 12 years after her first gold medal over the distance at London 2012.
The 32-year-old is the T34 100m world record holder with a time of 16.31 and has dominated the event since his international debut in 2011.
He didn’t break his own mark in Paris, but his time of 16.80 (0.2) was more than enough to secure gold, one second ahead of team-mate Kare Adengan, who clocked 17.99.
Adenegan actually got ahead of Cockroft in the first 20 meters but the Storm didn’t stop when he went full speed midway through the race.
Kare Adenegan and Hannah Cockcroft (Getty)
“I didn’t know if I was going to win today and it was scary,” Cockcroft said. “It means a lot to retain the title at the fourth consecutive Paralympic Games. I knew Kare was going to struggle out of the blocks, he always does, and I worked really hard at the start, but I knew if I kept my nerve and got my arm up to speed I could catch him. All season he was going out ahead of me and I was catching him, so luckily it worked out.
“I sat on the starting line and they said on your signs and it didn’t shut up. My wheels were humming and I was trying to catch up. The last time I felt that (noise) was in 2012. Look at those stands, they’re full, that’s what we want, that’s what we love.”
After his third silver medal in the Paralympic T34 100m, Adenegan added: It was a tough season, but I’m really happy with the result, even if I would have liked a slightly faster time. I’ve had many moments of questioning myself about how I got here.
“I’m now a six-time Paralympic medalist which I’m really proud of and hopefully I can add another one to the list at the end of the week.”
Sabrina Fortune (Getty)
Sabrina Fortune won her first ever Paralympic title with a stunning world record in the F20 shooting at the Stade de France.
The 27-year-old bettered her previous mark of 14.83m with a best throw of 15.12m, turning her bronze from Tokyo into gold in Paris.
Such was Fortune’s dominance that he recorded four marks that were greater than his previous world record, with a streak that also included 14.90m, 14.92m and 14.95m.
“To get this gold and the world record for Great Britain means everything,” Fortune said. “I have been aiming for this gold medal since Rio. As a little girl, I didn’t expect that I would have problems with my studies, that I would be able to do such an event and go on the world stage. I am so proud to be able to do this.
“During training the throws were going a lot further, like 15.5m or more, so I knew there was a big chance, but a chance is always a chance and it doesn’t mean you’re always going to get it. My coach wanted 15m so I hit 15m.
Sammy Kinghorn in Paris 2024 (Getty)
Sammy Kinghorn also secured a silver medal in a strong T53 800m field.
The 28-year-old finished second behind world record holder and now two-time Paralympic champion Kathryn Debrunner.
Kinghorn clocked 1:42.96 to keep pace with Debrun, who also clocked a Paralympic record of 1:41.04.
By claiming silver, Kinghorn became the first person to collect a medal in athletics for Great Britain at Paris 2024.
“I was fourth in Tokyo, so to get silver today was incredible,” Kinghorn said. “Catherine is amazing. I was staying with him around the corners but his endurance was a bit better. I put myself out there to see how close I could get. It’s definitely the closest I’ve been all year.
“I’ve worked incredibly hard for this. I won my first Paralympic medal in Tokyo and it was amazing. Honestly, if I finished fourth today, just the fact that my mom, dad, family and friends were there was enough for me.”
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