Katrina Hart and David Weir claim gold for GB at IPC World Championships

Hart, the Commonwealth 100 metres champion in October, added another impressive victory to her list of achievements as she took gold in the women's T36 200m.

The University of Bath-based athlete clocked a new lifetime best and European record of 30.11 seconds and said: "That was even better than Delhi.

"I'm really happy, it's amazing .?.?.?it was tough though and I had to work really hard down the home straight."

A dramatic finish saw Germany's Maria Seifert and Hart's GB teammate Jenny McLoughlin, who finished eighth, crash to the ground over the finish line.

"If you're under pressure it makes you or breaks you and that broke her (Seifert) and it made me," Hart added.

Weir, the Paralympic champion over 800m and 1,500m, claimed gold after a well-judged charge to victory in the men's T54 800m.

Sitting third at the start of the final lap, Weir hauled in world record holder Marcel Hug of Switzerland and Jordan Bird of the United States over the final 400m, eventually taking the lead in the final few metres before winning in 1min 37.28secs.

Hug finished second, just two one-hundredths of a second behind, while Frenchman Julien Casoli was third.

"I knew that if I kept calm on the bend I had the speed and strength to take it," said Weir.

"I've always said that this is one of the toughest categories in Paralympic sport and you have to be at the top of your game. I was definitely there today and everything went to plan.

"This is huge, definitely one of the biggest wins of my career."

Elsewhere, Paul Blake took a hard-fought silver medal in the T36 1,500m on his international debut. Blake was on course for victory after pulling clear of the field with two laps to go but Russian world record holder Artem Arefyev reeled him in to take the victory in 4min 40.17secs.

"I thought I had him but my legs just gave up," admitted 21-year-old Blake.

"I'd obviously have loved to win it and maybe I broke too soon, but silver is amazing and I'm really happy."

Another international debutant enjoying a solid day was Sally Brown, who took bronze in the T46 200m. "I can't believe it; last night I felt lucky enough to get into the final," said 15-year-old Brown, the only Northern Ireland representative on the team.

"I don't think it's really sunk in yet."

Sprinters Tracey Hinton and Scotland's Libby Clegg finished third in the T11 200m and T12 200m respectively to take Britain's medal haul for the evening to six. "I knew it was going to be tough going into the final but I always go for it because I've got nothing to lose and to get bronze is brilliant," said Hinton.Clegg, meanwhile, was left to rue a poor bend, saying: "There was quite a tough wind out there and I think I could have run the bend better.

"But I accelerated off the bend and I was strong into the home straight so I'm happy with what I've done, it's a good start and I'll hopefully do better in the 100m which is my main event."

In other action, Hazel Robson finished in fourth in the T36 200m, Gemma Prescott finished seventh in the F32/33/34 shot putt, and Sophie Hancock was fifth in the F40 shot putt.