26th July 2013

GB & NI MEDAL COUNT UP TO 27 AFTER DAY SEVEN IN LYON

26 July 2013

There were another three medals for GB & NI on day seven of the IPC World Athletics Championships as the track temperatures soared to over 40 degrees Celsius at Lyon’s Stade de Parilly.

Paul Blake (Rob Ellchuk) won his second medal of the championships, this time silver in the T36 400m. The defending champion finished in 56.72 behind Russia’s T36 100m and 200m champion Evgenii Shvetcov, who clocked 56.27. The 23 year old won T36 800m gold earlier this week and is pleased to be going home with two medals to add to the silver and bronze he won at London 2012.

“I’m pretty pleased. It was really windy so I had to deal with tough conditions. Earlier in the week I got a gold medal so that was a big boost coming into this. It gave me a lot of confidence.

“It did cross my mind that maybe I could nick the gold but I was concentrating on my own running. Unfortunately I couldn’t quite win gold, he [the Russian] was too strong. It was a lot cooler today for the 400m than it was for my 800m a few days ago but the wind was tough to run against. I’m very pleased with my performance at these championships, I’m just going to go home and take some time to take it all in, as it hasn’t really sunk in yet.”

Mickey Bushell (Fred Periac) matched his performance from Christchurch two years ago, as he picked up silver in the T53 100m. Despite suffering from a shoulder injury, which led to his withdrawal from the 200m and 400m, Bushell bravely battled through the pain to secure second place behind Canada’s Brent Lakatos in a time of 15.12.

Bushell admitted: “It wasn’t the result I was hoping for, I’m pretty gutted, but these things happen. I’ve been having problems with my shoulder all day, so I’ve had to take pain killers to try and ease the injury. I did no warm-up for this race, not because I didn’t want to, but because I was worried about making it worse.

“I felt it all the way in the race, so I’ve just got to concentrate on getting fit and strong again. The headwinds were very strong, the strongest I’ve felt all year, but you can’t change the weather, you’ve just got to try and get through it.

GB & NI’s first medal of the day came from Beverley Jones (John Parkin), as the 38 year old won bronze in the F37 discus with a best throw of 28.54. Jones won silver two years ago, and despite wanting to have thrown closer to her personal best, the Paralympic Games bronze medallist was happy with her day’s work.

“I’m feeling happy to come away with the bronze, I’m just a little bit disappointed with the distance I threw out there today,” said Jones, who is part of the GB & NI team sponsored by Sainsbury’s. 

“There’s been a great team spirit out here in Lyon.  Everyone has encouraged each other and helped to motivate people like myself who are competing towards the end of the championships.”

Jamie Carter (Jenny Archer) posted his third personal best of the championships in his final event, as he made his way through to the T34 400m final in a time of 57.30.

“I’m definitely pleased and I think Jenny will be even more chuffed than me to be honest. My aim for the championships was to get PBs in all three events and I’ve done it, so I’m happy.

“I’m hoping for another PB tomorrow if the conditions are right. I want to get a 56, and I’m not that far off it.”

After a lane infringement resulted in a re-run of the men’s T51 200m, Stephen Osborne (Jenni Banks) finished one better than London 2012 in fourth place, while Sophia Warner (Stephen King) fought a -3.1m/s headwind to qualify for tomorrow’s T35 200m final. 

Jade Jones (Ian Thompson, Tanni Grey-Thompson) qualified for a fourth consecutive final in Lyon making her way through the T54 400m semi-final in 58.58, but there was disappointment for Sam Ruddock (Joseph McDonnell) who narrowly missed out on making the T35 200m final.

 

Medal tally:

Gold (11):

Aled Davies (F42 shot put & discus)

Richard Whitehead (T42 200m)

Jonnie Peacock (T44 100m)

Hannah Cockroft (T34 100m & 200m)

Paul Blake (T36 800m)

Josie Pearson (F51/52/53 discus)

Hollie Arnold (F46 javelin)

Sophie Hahn (T38 100m)

Scott Jones (F34 shot put)

 

Silver (10):

Dan Greaves (F44 discus)

Jonathan Broom-Edwards (F42/44 high jump)

Kyron Duke (F41 javelin)

Libby Clegg (T12 100m, 200m)

Bethany Woodward (T37 200m)

Sophie Hahn (T38 200m)

Libby Clegg (T12 100m)

Mickey Bushell (T53 100m)

Paul Blake (T36 400m)

 

Bronze (6):

Graeme Ballard (T36 100m)

Kyron Duke (F41 shot put)

Lee Whiteley (T38 200m)

Josie Pearson (F31/32/51 club throw)

Georgina Oliver (T54 100m)

Beverley Jones (F37 discus)

 

GB & NI lie in fourth place in the medal standings behind Brazil, USA and Russia