Lauren Parker has change into Australia’s first dual-sport Paralympic medallist in 44 years, claiming silver within the ladies’s H1-3 particular person time trial so as to add to her para triathlon gold in Paris.
After ending first within the para triathlon on Monday, Parker was going through a lofty process to match a feat final achieved by Eric Russell, who received a gold (shot put) and two bronzes (discus and pentathlon) in 1980.
However Parker was undaunted by the historical past going through her within the Parisian satellite tv for pc city of Clichy-sous-Bois, and will effectively have completed first with a gold to her identify.
The 35-year-old crossed the end line on her hand cycle simply 9.50 seconds behind American Katerina Brim.
“If solely I had the additional 9 seconds in me,” Parker stated after her efficiency.
“I could not have accomplished something extra, I put all of it on the market on the race course.
“I can not consider that I have been ready to do this, it has been a aim of mine to do each sports activities since Tokyo … I am very pleased with that.”
Parker’s silver got here on a profitable morning for Australia, as para cyclists clinched an extra three medals within the particular person time trial occasions.
Alana Forster claimed a bronze medal for Australia within the ladies’s C5 particular person time trial. (Reuters: Maria Abranches)
Meg Lemon grabbed silver within the ladies’s C4 race, with fellow Australian Emily Petricola, who claimed a velodrome gold medal earlier within the Video games, having to accept fourth.
Alana Forster (ladies’s C5) and Darren Hicks (males’s C2) received bronze of their respective classifications.
Cyclists weaved their means by way of a 14.2-kilometre course within the close by forest, looping round by way of the commune’s major strip and concluding with a pointy climb to complete at a municipal sports activities floor.
The unglamorous backdrop was in sharp distinction to the picturesque views of the Olympic time trial or the triathlon the place Parker received gold, but it surely suited Lemon completely.
“My coaches simply advised me to complete on the finish of the forest earlier than the final downhill and uphill, after which they knew that I may climb,” Lemon stated.
“No matter I had left, I used to be simply going to fly up the hill if I may.
“Em [Petricola] got here as much as me and advised me I used to be second and I assumed I used to be dreaming. It is fairly outstanding.”
AAP
