Dominant Team GB make it eight golds in velodrome

Great Britain’s track cycling team brought their Paralympic gold medal haul to eight on Sunday (11 September) on the final day of action in the velodrome.

Golds for Lora Turnham and in the Mixed C1-5 Team Sprint capped a memorable few days for the British team.

There was also a gold medal for the Netherlands’ Tristan Bangma and pilot Teun Mulder in the men’s tandem time-trial, who set a new Paralympic record of 59.822 seconds in the process.

Eighteen-year-old Paralympic debutant Bangma said: “It’s just incredible, unbelievable really.

“I felt I could get a good time coming into the Games. I knew my training had gone well and that I was in good shape. This is the gold medal that tells a lot more than being a world champion.

“It only comes round every four years. I am only 18 so I hope to be in Tokyo in 2020, we will see. Now I just want to celebrate, but I am not believing I am Paralympic champion.”

Five-time UCI world champion in the time-trial, Great Britain’s Neil Fachie and pilot Pete Mitchell (+0.419 seconds) had to settle for the silver medal, having won gold in London in 2012.

Germany’s Kai-Christian Kruse and Stefan Nimke (+1.965 seconds) took home the bronze medal.

Britain’s Lora Turnham and pilot Corrine Hall dominated the women’s individual tandem pursuit.

In the final, the British duo faced New Zealand’s Emma Foy and Laura Thompson (+3.519 seconds) – the event’s reigning UCI World Champions – and beat them to the line in a time of 3 minutes 28.050 seconds.

Turnham said: “I just can’t stop laughing and crying. We really didn’t expect it to happen in the pursuit as the Kiwis have been dominant; since London they have been unbeatable.

“We knew after winning bronze at the Worlds we were capable of winning a medal, but I never quite allowed myself to believe it would be gold.”

During qualifications, Turnham and Hall registered a new Paralympic time, covering the 3000 meters in 3 minutes 27.460 seconds.

In the bronze medal final, Britain’s Sophie Thornhill and pilot Helen Scott easily won against New Zealand’s Amanda Cameron and Hannah Kampen.

It was Thornhill and Scott’s second medal having won gold in the time-trial on Friday (9 September).

The last track event, the Mixed C1-5 Team Sprint, was completely dominated by team Great Britain’s Louis Rolfe (C2), Jon-Allan Butterworth (C5), and Jody Cundy (C4).

After lowering the event’s world record to 49.004 seconds during qualifications, the British trio repeated the exploit for the gold medal, lowering their time once again, to 48.635 seconds.

Team GB leaves the track with a total of 12 medals – including eight golds. Team China ranked second behind them with seven medals (three gold), while The Netherlands ranked third (eight medals, two gold).

Para-cyclists now head to Pontal, where the Paralympic Games road racing events will start on Wednesday (14 September).