KADEENA COX LEFT DISTRAUGHT AS PARALYMPIC GOLD MEDAL HOPES END IN CONCERNING FASHION

Kadeena Cox’s eight-year reign as Paralympic C4-5 time trial champion ended in concerning fashion after she crashed in the final at Paris 2024.

British cyclist Cox, who was second fastest in qualifying behind Caroline Groot, fell on the first corner of her medal race after wobbling following a slow start.

Appearing distraught, the 33-year-old, who has multiple sclerosis, hobbled as she was helped from the track by members of the ParalympicsGB team. She was visibly emotional and unsteady on her feet.

Leeds-born Cox was denied a restart as the fall was deemed not to be down to a mechanical fault. She continued to receive treatment on the floor of the track centre long after the event had finished.

The world record holder had looked odds-on to become GB’s first medallist of the Games following her triumphs at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

Eventually, Cox was pushed out of the concourse on a wheelchair and was too distraught to immediately speak. Dutch rider Groot subsequently took the title, ahead of French home favourite Marie Patouillet, with Canadian Kate O’Brien third.

Daphne Schrager would win Great Britain's first medal of the 2024 Paralympics with silver in the women's C1-3 3000m individual pursuit. Schrager, world champion in her discipline, had to settle for silver behind Xiaomei Wang of China, who finished almost 10 seconds ahead and set a new world record. Bronze went to Switzerland's Flurina Rigling.

“If you’d asked me a year ago, I would have bitten your arm off to have one,” Schrager said of the medal. “I started from scratch, I did some testing, I was like Bambi on ice and then we’ve gradually got less Bambi on ice and now we’re here.”

Schrager also sympathised with the unfortunate Cox.

“Things happen, different conditions, sometimes it’s just not your day, which is sport,” she said. “I’m just gutted for her because she was the one who got me into it first of all and I hope the whole team can pick her back up and she’ll come and prove what she’s worth when she does team sprint.

“She’s a great human so she’ll be back.”

2024-08-29T15:25:39Z dg43tfdfdgfd