Tag: tandem

Podium photo of Jenny Holl and Sophie Unwin with their gold medals. They have their arms in the air and are smiling to the crowd

Scots Add Three More Medals and a New World Record to the Tally at Paris 2024

There was plenty of action on day four in Paris as the Scots scooped up a further three medals and set another world record, on Sunday 1st September.  

It was a second medal in Paris for Jenny Holl, who piloted Sophie Unwin to gold in the women’s B 3000m individual pursuit. 

“We’ve completed the set now, when you include our Tokyo medals, we’re done!” Exclaimed Jenny. 

The pair made their intentions very clear after qualifying for the final with a new world best time of 3:17.643. Although they couldn’t catch their own blistering time in the final, the duo took the title with another impressive time of 3:19.149, a gap of 2.166 seconds to second placed Katie George-Dunlevy and pilot Eve McCrystal (IRL).  

“We needed to do something new, we came second at the World Champs this year. We had nothing more than that, that’s what we had then. We didn’t want another silver medal.” Said Holl, the 24-year-old from Blair Drummond.  

The win takes their medal tally to one gold and one silver in Paris. 

Neil Fachie, piloted by Matt Rotherham, sealed silver in the men’s B 1000m time trial in the velodrome. The defending champion headed into the final with the fourth fastest time of 1:00.543. In order to guarantee a podium finish the pair would have to break the one minute barrier. Despite achieving this and clocking a time of 59.312, teammate James Ball and pilot Steffan Lloyd bettered the duo by 0.348 seconds. A thrilling final and first medal in Paris for Neil and Matt.  

“I think we’re both proud of ourselves. We came for the gold but it was always going to be hard. I thought we rode really well all day today, we executed the plan the way we wanted it to. Our opening lap has been mega, but I felt like I didn’t have the legs at the end of the race today and that’s where our teammates had the better of us. It’s the only time they’ve ever gone quicker than us so fair play to them, I think we can be really proud of ourselves, we couldn’t have done more today.” Said Neil.  

From the Para cycling track to the Para athletics track, both Melanie Woods and Sammi Kinghorn were in action in the 800m T54 and T53 respectively.  

Melanie clocked a new PB time of 1:45.81 to finish third in her heat and bag her spot in the 800m final T54. The Para athlete from Glasgow put in another solid performance in the final, setting another PB time of 1:43.85 to finish fifth.  

Sammi Kinghorn had a straight final of the women’s 800m T53 and claimed silver behind Catherine Debrunner (SUI) who retained her Paralympic crown. 

Sammi secured the silver medal with a superb time of 1:42.96. 

In boccia, the dream of finally winning a Paralympic medal has come true for Stephen McGuire as he progresses to the gold medal final of the men’s individual BC4 competition (Monday 2nd, 4pm BST).  

Stephen leaned on his years of experience and kept his cool to beat Davor Komar 5-3 in the semifinal (1-0, 3-0, 1-0, 0-3).  

“It’s incredible. It’s 20 years hard work, I’ve wanted this for 20 years. I’ve been working with my coach for 10 years so it’s been a long, long process. To finally get that medal for myself and ParalympicsGB is a dream come true.” Said Stephen. 

Reflecting on his semifinal performance, the 40-year-old from Hamiltonn said: “He [Davor] is European champion so it was always going to be a tough game but I just battled. I got the angles I needed, put him under pressure and scored points at critical moments, which was key.” 

A Paralympic medal is the only medal that Stephen hasn’t got. The only question that remains now, is will it be silver or gold.  

“I’ll certainly enjoy the final. I perform well in finals, there’s no pressure as you’ve made it to the end. I’ve enjoyed the whole event and I will enjoy the final.” 

Stephen will face Colombia’s Edilson Chica Chica in the tomorrow’s (2nd) final.  

Meanwhile Edinburgh’s Patrick Wilson’s Paralympic campaign came to an end when Croatia’s Damian Iskrzycki (with ramp operator, Dariusz Borowski) defeated him 4-1, in the men’s individual BC3 quarterfinal.  

“Pretty gutted. I was trying to do the right things but they weren’t coming off. I almost came back in the third end but it didn’t quite happen.” Said Paddy. 

Reflecting on the game, he said: “I definitely belong here but at the moment need to put it all behind me.” 

“We can never forget the support we have. Great support from friends and family.” 

Despite the loss, Patrick (with ramp operator Meredith Greenwood) put in a solid performance in what was an extremely competitive event.  

It was a nail-biting quarter final in Para archery, with Nathan Macqueen up for Great Britain in the men’s individual compound. Nathan was beaten by just one point (143-142) by the American Matt Stutzman (the ‘armless archer’).  

“I think it was lost on the first end. I shot 9-8-9 and if I hadn’t done that, I would have had him. I’ve shot against him before but never in this kind of setting, final-style.” Said Nathan. 

“It’s quite hard, it was noisy – I thought I was up against a Frenchman for a second. I’ll chill now, see my family – I shot really well, it was just that first end. I’m happy and I’ll go into tomorrow (mixed team) with confidence.” 

Nathan will play alongside Jodie Grinham in the Mixed Team Compound Open Quarterfinal, tomorrow (2nd) at 4:50pm BST. 

Faye Rogers made headlines in the pool this morning by breaking the Scottish record in the women’s 100m freestyle S10, with a time of 1:01.90. After finishing joint third in the morning heats with Columbian swimmer Maria Paula Barrera Zapata, Faye was forced to compete in a swim-off but missed out on a Paralympic debut final by 0.06 seconds.  

“I couldn’t be happier. I know I didn’t win and didn’t make the final but it was a huge PB and I can’t ask for much more than that and the first time I’ve been under 62 seconds which is cool.” Said Faye. 

She continued to say: “The crowd is motivating me so much. I wasn’t sure how I was going to deal with it but it’s the coolest thing ever. I get so excited walking out and I’m trying to stop grinning the whole time which is really hard as I actually love it.” 

It was a solid start in Paris for Gordon Reid, who took the win in both opening pool matches in the men’s wheelchair tennis singles and doubles.  

He cruised to victory in the singles first, beating Sri Lanka’s Suresh Dharmasena 6-0, 6-0.  

 “I’m happy with that as a starting point. He can be a tricky opponent, if you give him time he can strike a good ball so I think I made it uncomfortable for him. For the first match, to get used to the conditions, courts, match play, I’m happy with the start.” Said Gordon. 

 Gordon, who is ranked number five, will face Japan’s Takuya Miki (ninth seed) tomorrow (2nd) at 11am BST. 

 The Scot had a few hours to rest and recharge ahead of his doubles game with Alfie Hewett against Chile’s Alexander Cataldo and Bryan Tapia. The duo left plenty in the tank though to take the game 6-1, 6-3. 

It’s a fifth consecutive Paralympic Games for Gordon and together with Alfie, they’ll be searching for the one big doubles title that has eluded them so far. 

In wheelchair basketball, it was another defeat for Robyn Love and Jodie Waite, after losing to Canada in yesterday’s pool game and today to the People’s Republic of China. 

The People’s Republic of China continued their winning streak to remain undefeated in their pool in Paris. Despite a thrilling fourth quarter, the final score read 47-62 (9-16, 13-18, 9-11, 16-17). The result of tonight’s Canada versus Spain game, will determine where Great Britain finish in Pool A.  

The Paris 2024 Paralympics runs from the 28th August – 8th September. You can follow all the action and find out how the 21 Scottish Para athletes get on by following Scottish Disability Sport on Facebook, X and Instagram, as well as on the SDS website. You can catch all the action on Channel 4. More information here.  

Photo of Alison Peasgood with her fist in the air

Alison Peasgood and Brooke Gillies (guide) Make ParalympicsGB Para Triathlon Squad

ParalympicsGB announces largest ever Para triathlon squad for Paris 2024

The team of eleven Para triathletes and three guides will compete in Paris on Sunday 1 and Monday 2 September on what will be a truly iconic course in the heart of the French capital.

Alison Peasgood and her guide, Brooke Gillies, will be representing Scotland in the squad.

Peasgood, who won silver at the Rio 2016 Paralympics (women’s PTVI classification) and finished fourth at the last summer Games in Tokyo, will be racing in Paris having given birth to her first child in August 2023, with Gillies making her Games debut.

Looking ahead to her third Games, Peasgood commented: “It’s been such an emotional rollercoaster to get to this point of qualifying for my third Games. When I was holding my tiny baby in my arms last August, I didn’t know how it was all going to be possible.

“It’s taken a village to get me to this point and I’m grateful to all of them for their support. I am looking forward to representing ParalympicsGB alongside my amazing guide Brooke. Not sure what my son Logan will make of it all, but I hope one day he will be proud to have been part of this journey with me.”

Peasgood and Gillies will be in action in the women’s PTVI (Vision Impaired), on Monday 2nd September.

Joining Peasgood and Gillies will be Tokyo champion Lauren Steadman (Women’s PTS5), who’ll be looking to defend her title, whilst in the same classification Claire Cashmore will represent ParalympicsGB for the sixth time in search of her tenth medal. Cashmore came home from Tokyo with bronze from her first Games as a Para triathlete having previously competed in Para swimming.

Speaking on her fifth Paralympic Games selection, Steadman said: “It feels super exciting to be selected for my fifth Games. I am very honoured to fly the flag for British Triathlon and ParalympicsGB again and will do everything within my power to defend my gold medal.

“It’s just really exciting that if there was a little Lauren who was 14 years old starting her journey again, how proud she would be of the Lauren stepping up to go and race in Paris.

“I’m very, very excited and I hope that the legacy I can leave behind is not just of great sporting achievements but also that if anyone who dares to believe, dares to dream, they can have the career that they’d love to.”

Six-time world champion, Dave Ellis (Men’s PTVI), will race with long-term guide Luke Pollard with the pair looking to add to their World and Commonwealth champion status having suffered a DNF as a result of a mechanical failure on their bike in Tokyo.

Michael Taylor (Men’s PTS4) will also return having finished seventh in Tokyo, whilst Mel Nicholls (Women’s PTWC) will compete in her third Paralympic Games and her first since moving into Para triathlon. Nicholls has previously represented ParalympicsGB in Para athletics and only switched to Para triathlon in 2022.

Another athlete new to the sport who has made the ParalympicsGB team for Paris is Henry Urand (Men’s PTS3). The Loughborough University student made the transition from Para cycling to Para triathlon in 2023 and has qualified for his first Paralympic Games having finished first or second in five of his six international races in the last 12 months.

Speaking on being selected for his first Games, Urand said: “I am honoured to be selected as a part of the Para triathlon team heading out to Paris. It feels surreal at the moment, and not something I thought was possible when I switched to triathlon 15 months ago.

“It means so much being able to go to Paris and showcase Para sport to the world stage. It is extra special that it is a Games that is close to home, where family and friends can come and watch.”

Also making their Games debuts in Paris will be Finley Jakes (Men’s PTS4), Hannah Moore and Megan Richter (both Women’s PTS4), and Oscar Kelly and his guide Charlie Harding in the men’s PTVI classification.

Kelly and Harding also teamed up to represent England at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, with Moore and Richter sharing six medals between them so far this year. Jakes has developed through the British Triathlon system, progressing from taking part in a Talent ID Day, through the pathway and onto the World Class Programme to reach his first Paralympic Games.

Tom Hodgkinson, Head of Paratriathlon at British Triathlon, said of the squad: “To be able to take a large and talented team of athletes and guides to Paris is incredibly exciting for me, British Triathlon and the sport in Britain.

“Across the team we’ve got stories of success, comebacks and personal triumphs. Lauren coming back into the team having taken time away to start her PhD, Alison returning as a mother, and Dave and Luke returning to the top of the sport again after some bad luck in Tokyo really show the people behind the results.

“We’ve also got a strong cohort of athletes who’ve put performances together throughout 2024 to secure qualification. There were a lot of challenges last year which have been overcome and the character demonstrated puts us as a team in a good place moving forwards.

“Everyone in the squad has a fantastic story to tell of this cycle and with a team of people behind them who have helped get them to this point. The coming weeks from our holding camp in France and through to Paris will be an amazing next chapter in those stories and I’m looking forward to shaping and sharing the experience with the selected athletes of ParalympicsGB for Paris 2024.”

Penny Briscoe, ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission for Paris 2024 said: “I want to congratulate every athlete and guide on this selection milestone as part of the biggest Para triathlon squad to ever represent ParalympicsGB. With the experience of athletes such as Lauren Steadman, Claire Cashmore and Dave Ellis combined with some exciting ParalympicsGB debutants this is further proof of the breadth of talent we have across a diverse range of sports as we head towards Paris 2024.”

At Tokyo 2020, ParalympicsGB won medals across a record breaking 18 different sports – the highest number of any nation ever. ParalympicsGB finished second on the medal table with 124 medals overall, including 41 gold, 38 silver and 45 bronze.

 

Sunday 1 September (PTS2-5)

Lauren Steadman (PTS5)  – From Peterborough, Trains in London

Claire Cashmore (PTS5)  – From Kidderminster, Trains in Loughborough

Michael Taylor (PTS4) – From Barnstaple, Trains in Bristol/Bath

Finley Jakes (PTS4) – From Eastbourne, Trains in Loughborough

Megan Richter (PTS4) – From Birmingham, Trains in Birmingham

Hannah Moore (PTS4)  – from Stalbridge, Trains in Loughborough

Henry Urand (PTS3) – from Ashford, Trains in Loughborough

 

Monday 2 September (PTVI & PTWC)

Dave Ellis (PTVI) – From Derby, Trains in Loughborough

Luke Pollard (guide to Dave Ellis) – From Telford, Trains in Loughborough

Alison Peasgood (PTVI) – From Dunfermline, Trains in Loughborough

Brooke Gillies (guide to Alison Peasgood) – from Fife, Trains in Loughborough

Oscar Kelly (PTVI) – From Redbridge, Trains in Loughborough

Charlie Harding (guide to Oscar Kelly) – From Penrith, Trains in Nottingham

Mel Nicholls (PTWC) – From Tewkesbury, Trains in Tewkesbury/Loughborough