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Jaco van Gass and Lizzi Jordan took GB’s first gold medal in cycling at the Paris Paralympics on Friday afternoon, with Van Gass winning the C3 3000m individual pursuit final, and Jordan, with co-pilot Danni Khan, won the women’s B1 1000m time trial.
The pair led GB’s medal rush, with the pair winning two of six medals on the track on Friday.
Van Gass came into his race as the defending champion, having set a new world record in qualifying, and never looked like he would lose, gaining time on his compatrior Graham throughout the race. The latter took silver as a result.
That was followed by glory for Jordan and Khan in the B1 1000m time trial, who set off last in their final, and despite being almost a second behind the Australian team of Jess Gallagher and Caitlin Ward in the opening stages, came back to win. The Aussie pair had earlier beaten the time of GB’s Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl, who took bronze as a result.
Van Gass was GB’s third medallist of the day, and Graham the fourth, after Blaine Hunt took silver in the men’s C4/5 1000m time trial, and Matt Robertson won bronze in the men’s C2 3000m individual pursuit.
“I’m overwhelmed, delighted, and just generally happy it’s over to be honest,” van Gass said. “It has been a rollercoaster to this moment. I rode an average qualifier, it wasn’t perfect, and I knew I had something to work on for the final. It paid off, and I’m just elated to be there.
“The game plan was always to be selected for the games, and there was no-one in Tokyo. I knew from that second that I had to try again, Paris was next, with friends and family here. That’s what has driven me here.”
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“[It was a] carbon copy to Tokyo,” Graham joked. “I broke the world record and I barely got off the bike before Jaco took it off me. Jaco is the one to beat, and he has again shown he is able to peak at the right time. At this event there’s no hiding, the strongest man wins. I gave it a good go, but not quite able to take gold. [I will] try again in the road races. “
Earlier, Hunt finished behind Korey Boddington of Australia in the final of the men’s C4/5 1000m time trial, with Alfonso Cabello Llamas of Spain in third. Jody Cundy and Archie Atkinson finished just off the podium in third and fourth.
“It means a lot,” Hunt told Channel 4 post-ride. “There’s a lot of hard work into this, seven years. I’ve got all my family here, I feel that I can finally take a break and be a dad for a bit, it means so much. My wife sleeps with three bikes in the bedroom, at least one downstairs, and five in the shed. I miss out on family things… You miss out on stuff. I’m just glad I’ve been able to come out of this with a medal.”
In the men’s C2 3000m individual pursuit bronze final, Robertson powered to third place, beating Shota Kawamoto of Japan, with the British rider never looking like he would be beaten. The final was won by Alexandre Leaute of France, over Ewoud Vromant of Belgium.
“To be a medallist in this team is incredible,” Robertson explained. “The support behind us works.”
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