Kadeena Cox secures Paralympic redemption by retaining mixed team sprint title

Kadeena Cox secured Paralympic redemption by retaining the mixed team sprint title alongside Jaco van Gass and Jody Cundy as Great Britain added three more golds on the final day of track cycling in Paris.

The 33-year-old was left distraught on day one of the Games when her eight-year reign as C4-5 time trial champion agonisingly ended following a fall on the first bend of her final.

Back at the velodrome three days on, Cox fared considerably better, teaming up with fellow multiple gold medallists Van Gass and Cundy to comfortably keep hold of the C1-5 crown claimed at Tokyo 2020.

The trio were just 0.159 seconds outside the world-record pace they registered in Japan three years ago and 1.826 seconds faster than silver medallists Spain.

Earlier, James Ball and tandem pilot Steffan Lloyd clinched gold for Britain in the men’s B 1000m time trial, before Sophie Unwin and pilot Jenny Holl topped the podium in the women’s B 3000m individual pursuit.

In a reverse of the British one-two in Tokyo, Ball pushed defending champion Neil Fachie and his pilot Matthew Rotherham into silver.

“Waiting for your turn to go up, we knew we’d have to follow something big from Matt and Neil, that’s how it’s always gone,” said Ball.

“We have been working for this a long time and it has paid off today. It makes everything worth it.”

Fachie’s wife Lora, who started Sunday as back-to-back champion, and her pilot Corrine Hall had to settle for bronze as team-mate Unwin took her individual pursuit title after setting a new world record of three minutes 17.643 seconds in qualifying.

Ireland’s Katie-George Dunlevy was second alongside Eve McCrystal, while Lizzi Jordan and Danni Khan were beaten in the bronze medal race by Fachie and Hall.

“This was the event we wanted,” said Unwin.

“It’s unbelievable, after the world champs last year, Jenny went ‘let’s go for the world record’. I said ‘sure, Jenny’.”

Published: 01/09/2024 by Radio NewsHub

---