Paralympics Day 2 – 100m Gold for Libby Clegg

Day two of the Summer Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro brought further success for the ParalympicsGB team and medals for two Scottish athletes on the track.

Athletics

Libby Clegg had qualified comfortably for the semi-final of the T11 100m after an impressive time of 12.17 in her heat. Libby and guide Chris Clarke then progressed to the T11 100m final but only after a nervous wait. The duo had qualified fastest, setting a new world record time of 11.91 in the semi-final, but were then disqualified due to a mid-race infringement before a successful appeal saw them reinstated.

The pair regrouped and edged out the opposition in a tightly contested final to take the gold medal in a time of 11.96 ahead of China’s Zhou Guohua by two hundredths of a second.

Libby said:

“It’s not really hit me just yet. I’m over the moon, we ran a pretty similar time to the semi-final so I’m pleased with that”.

“These things (the events earlier in the day) happen and you’ve just got to get on with it really and hope for the best”.

“I’ve got an amazing team behind me. My training group are there day in day out and obviously there’s Chris as well”.

“He has been fantastic. I had a change of guides back in November and then Chris and I started working together in February. It’s been a quick process.”

Stef Reid was also in action on day two of the Games competing in the T44 Long Jump. Stef was determined to go one better than her performance in London in 2012 where she won the silver medal with a jump of 5.28m. In 2014, Stef jumped to victory and a world record in the F44 Long Jump at the Diamond League meeting in Glasgow.

However, Stef had to settle for the silver medal in Rio, recording a best effort of 5.64m. France’s Marie-Amelie Le Fur took gold with a world record leap of 5.83m.

Reid said:

“Marie jumped further than I’ve ever jumped. Hats off to her, I’m just really pleased at the way our event has progressed.”

“I think I did some really great things in terms of my jumping and I’m just so thankful to my coach and to the team around me who have got me here. I’m proud of what I did.”

“I didn’t realise I was the first athletics medal for ParalympicsGB in Rio. It’s great to get us off to a great start.”

Wheelchair Basketball

Following yesterday’s excellent victory over World Champions, Canada, Robyn Love and the GB Women’s Basketball Team were back on court against an Argentinian team who had lost their opening match against Brazil by 85-19.

GB returned to winning ways with an emphatic 79-20 defeat of the Argentinians and will face a much tougher test when they face Germany in their next Group A match on 10 September.

 

The successes on the athletic track on day two of the Rio Games means that Scots now have a full set of medals with one gold, one silver and one bronze.