Paralympic Games: Reid breaks record twice en route to silver medal

Published on 03/09/2012 03:49

STEF Reid set two new Paralympic records as she leapt to long jump silver at the Olympic Stadium yesterday.

The 27-year-old Scot, who lost her right leg below the knee in a boating accident aged 16, launched herself out to 5.28 metres only to be denied F42/44 gold by a whisker. Reid, who competed for Canada at the Beijing Games, actually recorded a distance 90cm further than gold medallist Kelly Cartwright of Australia.

But with points rather than distances determining the final standings in the combined class event, she finished an agonising seven points adrift. Reid, a F44 athlete, finished with 1023 points, while her Australian rival, a double above-the-knee amputee and therefore in the F42 class, achieved a world record for 1030 points. Reid, who was born to British parents in New Zealand and grew up in Toronto, broke the Paralympic record with successive jumps, following up her second round leap of 5.08m with her next attempt.

The medal completed a remarkable comeback as she suffered a stress fracture to her back last autumn and missed almost the whole season.