Great Britain secure a number of medals in Paris as Sabrina Fortune claims gold and Kare Adenegan and Sammi Kinghorn take home silvers
Hannah Cockroft won a fourth consecutive T34 100m title at the Paralympics, 12 years on from her first gold medal over the distance at London 2012.
The 32-year-old is the world T34 100m record-holder with 16.31 and has dominated the event since her international debut in 2011.
She didn’t break her own mark in Paris but a time of 16.80 (0.2) was more than enough to secure the gold, finishing over a second ahead of teammate Kare Adenegan, who clocked 17.99.
Adenegan actually got ahead of Cockroft in the first 20m but there was no stopping “The Hurricane” when she got up to full speed around half-way through the race.
Kare Adenegan and Hannah Cockroft (Getty)
“I didn’t know if I was going to win it today and this was a scary one,” Cockroft said. “It means so much to hold on to the title for a fourth consecutive Paralympics. I knew Kare was going to go out of the blocks hard, she always does, and I’ve worked so hard on the start, but I knew if I kept my nerve and kept my hand speed up, I could catch her. All season she has been getting out ahead of me and I’ve been catching her, so thankfully it worked.
“I sat on the startline and they said on your marks and it didn’t go quiet. My wheels were buzzing and I was trying to find my grip. The last time I experienced that [noise] was 2012. Look at those stands, they are full, that’s what we want, that’s what we love!”
After a third Paralympic T34 100m silver medal, Adenegan added: “It is amazing and I am so happy to get another Paralympic medal. It has been a tough season but I am really pleased with the outcome even if I would have liked a slightly quicker time. I have had a lot of moments of questioning myself in terms of what type of form I was in coming in here.
“I am now a six-time Paralympic medallist which I am really proud of, and hopefully I can add another one to the list at the end of the week.”
Sabrina Fortune (Getty)
Sabrina Fortune claimed her first ever Paralympic title with a stunning world record in the F20 shot put at the Stade de France.
The 27-year-old beat her previous mark of 14.83m with a best throw of 15.12m, upgrading her bronze from Tokyo to gold in Paris.
Such was Fortune’s dominance that she recorded four marks that were greater than her previous world record, with a series that also included 14.90m, 14.92m and 14.95m.
“It means everything to get this gold and a world record for Great Britain,” Fortune said. “I’ve been aiming for this gold medal since Rio. Ever since I was a little girl, I didn’t expect with my learning disability that I would be able to do an event like this and go on the world stage. I am so so proud that I am able to do it.
“In training the throws have been going so much further, like 15.5m and beyond, so I knew there was a big chance but a chance is always a chance and it doesn’t mean you’ll always get it. My coach wanted 15m so I hit 15m!”
Sammi Kinghorn at Paris 2024 (Getty)
Sammi Kinghorn also secured a silver medal in a strong T53 800m field.
The 28-year-old finished second behind world record-holder and now double Paralympic champion Catherine Debrunner.
Kinghorn clocked 1:42.96 and wasn’t far behind Debrunner, who herself recorded a Paralympic record of 1:41.04.
In claiming silver, Kinghorn became the first person to collect a medal in athletics for Great Britain at Paris 2024.
“I came fourth in Tokyo so to get a silver today was incredible,” Kinghorn said. “Catherine is amazing. I was staying with her around the bend but her endurance was a little better. I put myself out there to see how close I could get. It’s definitely the closest I have been all year.
“I have worked incredibly hard for this. I won my first Paralympic medal in Tokyo and it was amazing. Genuinely, if I had come fourth today, just the fact that my Mum, Dad, family and friends were there was enough for me.”
» Subscribe to AW magazine here
The post Hannah Cockroft wins an incredible eighth Paralympic crown appeared first on AW.
