Gold pedal start for Britain

Published on Sunday 7 September 2008 13:58

Great Britain enjoyed a tremendous opening day of the Paralympic Games with three cycling gold medals before also triumphing at the Water Cube.

Simon Richardson, Aileen McGlynn, with pilot rider Ellen Hunter, and Darren Kenny ensured the first three track cycling golds would return to Britain, just as seven out of 10 golds did last month in the Olympics.

Sascha Kindred then claimed Britain's fourth gold of the Games with his third successive Paralympic title in the men's SM6 200 metres individual medley.

The 30-year-old from Hereford triumphed in two minutes 42.19 seconds – lowering his own world and Paralympic record – for Britain's second swimming medal of the Paralympics after Broxburn's Jim Anderson clinched silver in the men's S2 200m freestyle.

Anderson, who was aiming to defend the four titles he won in Athens, finished second to Russia's Dmitry Kokarev, who lowered the Scot's world record to 4mins 45.43secs.

Kindred, competing in his fourth Paralympics, clinched his ninth medal and his fifth gold.

"That's number five now – five golds I've won in the Paralympics," he said.

"I'm very proud of myself, to break the world record here, it's the pinnacle of any athlete's career.

"To go faster than I've ever done here tops it off. I'm ecstatic."

Kindred will chase a third successive gold in the 100m breaststroke later this week, while he is also hoping to win a medal in the 50m butterfly.

And he revealed he took inspiration from watching the cyclists in the velodrome.

"I watched some of the cycling earlier," he said. "I managed to see some of the golds.

"Watching it on the TV, a gold medal, it makes the whole team rise to the occasion."

Britain's swimmers overtook their cycling counterparts in medals won as Natalie Jones and Matt Walker each collected bronze medals.

Defending champion Jones was third in the SM6 women's 200m IM as America's Miranda Uhl set a world record of 3:13.05.

Walker then won Britain's fourth swimming medal in the SM7 men's 200m IM.

Walker, from Stockport, finished in 2:50.10 as America's Rudy Garcia

Tolson smashed his own world record, winning in 2:35.92.