ParalympicsGB have secured two more bronze medals at the Paralympics Games in Rio with a dominant performance in the Men’s Wheelchair Basketball, ending a disappointing summer for the GB team. GB scored the only goal of the semi-final as they came from behind to beat Angola 2-1, before thrashing Australia 3-0 in the bronze medal game.
The 2016 Paralympics are in the books, and Great Britain’s dominance of the podium has continued. As runners of the T34 class, Andy Moles and Adam Parboe have teamed up to claim an unprecedented four bronze medals in Rio, while Joshne Walters has added yet another medal to his ever growing collection, this time in the T35 category.
The Paralympic Games were not just about winning medals for Great Britain, but also about inspiring the world. The athletes inspired the world with their determination and courage, and also with their incredible sporting achievements.
The men’s wheelchair basketball team from the United Kingdom arrived in Tokyo as global and European champions.
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On the last day of competition at the Tokyo Paralympics, Great Britain earned two additional bronze medals, bringing the Games to a close.
For the second year in a straight, the men’s wheelchair basketball team defeated Spain 68-58 to finish third, while Krysten Coombs won bronze in the men’s SH6 badminton singles.
David Weir finished sixth in the men’s T54 marathon earlier in the day, while Marcel Hug of Switzerland earned his fourth gold of the Games.
With 41 golds, 38 silvers, and 45 bronzes, Great Britain finishes second behind China in the medal standings with a total of 124 medals.
They won medals in 18 of the 19 sports they participated in, with the exception of shooting, which they did not win.
Penny Briscoe, ParalympicsGB’s chef de mission, said the squad had “rewritten the history books” and hailed their “phenomenal efforts” on Radio 5 Live.
To end on a high note, the British rely on ‘heart.’
Gaz Choudhry, a wheelchair basketball player-coach, stated the victory against Spain was the consequence of “being resilient and brave.”
Choudhry took over as head coach when Haj Bhania tested positive for Covid-19 before the team’s trip to Japan.
Following the heartbreak of losing to Japan in the semi-final on Friday, Great Britain had to step up their game once again. They came back from a 30-28 deficit in the third quarter to win 50-40, and they held on in the fourth quarter for their fourth bronze in the last five Games.
Choudhry led all scorers with 19 points, and Terry Bywater praised the 36-year-performance old’s throughout the Games.
“We can’t say enough good things about Gaz, the way he’s led this team and brought us together – the connection we have in this group is truly unique,” Bywater added.
“I have five Paralympic bronze medals, but this one means a little more to me because of all the sacrifices we’ve made and the difficult times we’ve faced.”
Choudhry downplayed his own accomplishments.
“We’ve received so many rejections this summer. This was a heart-to-heart game “he said
“This bronze medal is for the rest of the team. We knew where we were before, but now that we’ve won, it seems like more than a medal. However, this squad is deserving of a gold medal.”
Coombs celebrates his last day with pleasure.
Krysten Coombs now plans to participate in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Coombs, who does some acting and has featured in a Game of Thrones episode, was rated sixth in the world heading into the Paralympics.
A victory against teammate Jack Shephard in the group round enabled him get to the last four, where he lost to Krishna Nagar of India.
Despite dropping the opening game against Vitor Tavares of Brazil, the 30-year-old won 12-21 21-10 21-16 to add to Dan Bethell’s silver medal in the SL3 tournament.
“It’s been incredible to be here, but to walk away with a medal is incredible,” he told Channel 4.
“I’m taken aback and speechless. I can’t believe it, yet I’ve put in so much effort.
“Having the sport in the Paralympics will benefit it tremendously throughout the globe.”
In Tokyo, shooters are missing their targets.
Matt Skelhon and Lorraine Lambert, both from the United Kingdom, lost out on a spot in the final of the R6 mixed 50m rifle prone SH1 event.
“I’m afraid I couldn’t take the pressure today. I had completely lost it, “Skelhon, who was Paralympic champion from 10m in 2008 and earned bronze in the event at London 2012, said.
“It’s been a very trying week.” I’d been out of competitive practice for a long time, and it showed.
“My confidence is low, so I went out and did my hardest, but I believe it only added to the strain.” I gave it my all, yet it was insufficient.
“I believe 90% of it is mental – if the equipment is on spot, the rest is mental – knowing you’re at a level to compete with others, which we haven’t had in two years.”
Great Britain completed a successful Tokyo Paralympics with a second bronze medal in the last event in the Games’ schedule, the marathon. Games in the final day in a three-day heat in a time of 2:55:06, from Broughton, Wolverhampton, helped Great Britain to finish with a total of eight medals.. Read more about paralympic medal table 2012 and let us know what you think.
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