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The Australian Paralympic Team was put to work on its busiest day at the Tokyo Games, as athletes competed across 14 of 18 sports on day four and added another eight medals to the tally.
The Australian Belles women’s goalball team secured their best result in a generation when they recorded a 4-3 victory in their third pool match at Tokyo 2020.
Leading 4-1 with less than three minutes to go, the Belles conceded two late goals before desperately repelling Canada’s powerful last throw with 0.8 seconds left to play.
“That was absolutely historic and sets a platform,” Head Coach Peter Corr said.
“We’ve been working hard to set a platform for a small women’s sport with not much of a following and I think they did themselves absolutely proud today.”
Goalball is a sport played exclusively by athletes who are visually impaired. The last time the Australian women won a game at the Paralympics was in 1996, when they defeated South Korea 2-0 at the Atlanta Games. The team went winless at Sydney 2000, failed to qualify in 2004 and 2008 and went winless again at London 2012 and Rio 2016.
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At the pool, Australians won another five medals, including an unforgettable silver and bronze to long-time close friends Ahmed Kelly and Grant ‘Scooter’ Patterson in the Men’s 150m Individual Medley (SM3).
“If you had said nine years ago that I would make a Paralympic final with the potential to win a bronze medal I would have said ‘You’re joking’,” said Patterson, whose nickname emanates from the trike he uses to aid his mobility.
“But I was always under the impression that I would stick at it and be there if any opportunity was to arise and that’s what happened tonight, so it’s good to know all the hard work paid off.”
Kelly, who was brought to Australia from Iraq the year of the Sydney Paralympics said: “We’ve pushed each other and we balance each other with humour – it’s just been a wonderful journey getting to these Games.”
The oldest member of the Australian Dolphins at these Games, Matthew Levy, 34, won bronze in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke (SB6). Levy, competing at his fifth Paralympics. In other results, Rowan Crothers won silver in the Mixed 4x100m Freestyle (S14) relay also adding to the tally.
In the final event of the night Australia’s Mixed 4x100m Freestyle Relay (S14) team, composed of Ricky Betar, Ben Hance, Ruby Storm and Madeleine McTernan, delivered another silver medal with a time of 3:46.38. This is the first time in Games history this event has been swum and for Betar and McTernan, this marks their first Paralympic medals.
Distance runner Jaryd Clifford realised a dream – winning his first Paralympic medal – but it came at considerable cost.
Sprinter Evan O’Hanlon still managed to keep the dream alive winning his seventh Paralympic medal across four Games – but it could be his last.
Such were the contrasting stories of Australia’s two medal winners in athletics on Saturday.
Clifford beat the Spaniard to take the 5000m gold at the 2019 Dubai World Championships. But the 22-year-old Victorian was just as proud to take silver today.
“I’m finally a Paralympic medallist – it ticks a pretty big box. I would be more disappointed if I didn’t win but hadn’t given it my all. But I did,” said Clifford who finished seventh at Rio 2016.
“I haven’t really felt like that after a race – ever – that makes me able to accept the result because it genuinely felt like I gave it my all.”
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O’Hanlon crossed the line in the 100m (T38) final dead-heating with China’s Zhu Dening on 11.00s. It meant officials went to the thousandth-of-a-second to decide silver and bronze. The Australian was awarded the bronze.
Next door at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium at the Table Tennis, Australians were making team history, securing spots in four gold medal playoffs.
Four-time Paralympian Ma Lin was the first to secure Australia’s para-table tennis medal at the Tokyo 2020 Games, taking silver in the Men’s Singles class 9.
Ma has captured the imagination of his adopted home, kicking off what is set to be Australia’s most successful table tennis campaign at a Paralympic Games. His team mates Sam von Einem, Li Na Lei and Qian Yang produced thrilling come from behind semi-final victories to book their chance to play for gold over the coming days.
Two of our three Para-rowing boats are through to the gold medal race at Sea Forest Waterway after Erik Horrie and the Australian PR3 Mixed Coxed Four placed first in their respective repechage races today. The Australian PR2 Mixed Double Sculls were pipped at the line for second, placing third and therefore rowing in the B Final.
Australian coxswain Renae Domaschenz said the PR3 Mixed Coxed Four crew had consistently improved throughout the regatta to get to their chance at the dias.
“It felt really good, we’re really pleased, being able to execute our plans today, read the conditions well, be patient and find the right moment to squeeze on that little bit more than we did yesterday.
“We haven’t spent much time together as a crew so our motivation is each day a little bit better, a little cleaner, a little bit stronger, and I feel that we are really doing that as a crew which is awesome.”
Boccia competition kicked off today with Australians Dan Michel and Spencer Cotie taking to the court and notching up victories.
Michel returns for his second Paralympic Games notching up a convincing 9-0 win on the opening day with team mate Cotie also taking 4-1 win on his Paralympic debut.
Watch the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games live and free on Seven and 7plus from August 24 – September 5.
The Australian Steelers’ nine-year reign as Paralympic champions in wheelchair rugby has come to a untimely end at Tokyo 2020. The Steelers will now play host nation Japan for the bronze medal after both teams were upset in semi-final action on Saturday.
Ranked number one in the world, the Steelers were thumped 49-42 by the United States (ranked two), while Great Britain (ranked three) destroyed the hopes of a massive and expectant Japanese viewing audience by thumping their world number two team 55-49. For Australia, the defeat brought the most successful record in the sport’s history to a disappointing end.
The track cycling team wrapped up their Paralympic Games campaign today, with a haul of six medals and three world records from the eight events at Izu Velodrome over the four days.
The team claimed three gold, two silver and a bronze medal to rank second behind Great Britain. The Tokyo campaign has ended for Reid and Allan, but the others will be joined by Carol Cooke, Stuart Jones, Stuart Tripp and Grant Allen for next week’s road competition. On Tuesday, all ten riders will be in action in the time trial events across various classifications and distances.
Australia continued its perfect start in men’s wheelchair basketball at Tokyo 2020 with a 64-53 win over Germany at Ariake Arena on Saturday.
The Rollers set up the victory with a 21-11 first quarter onslaught and are now 3-0 in Group B ahead of games against reigning Paralympic champions USA and current World champions Great Britain.
Coach Craig Friday was delighted with the intensity from the tip-off.
“Yeah it was a really good start. I think we got our details right at the beginning and then it was a bit of a dogfight for the rest of the game,” he said.
You can watch the action on Seven and 7plus.
By: Paralympics Australia
Posted: 29 August, 2021
