Updated on
Wheelchair Basketball
The final day of the games is upon us, and today was the final medal matches of the last of the team sports - wheelchair basketball.
The team went out strong against the USA for a very tough match. The USA sank the first hoop and Team UK were playing beautifully as a team. Kelly Leonard, Gwynne Walker, Vicky Ross, Tom Folwell and Anthony Young all scored fantastic shots, and there were some great passes between Gwynne and Paul Gray but the US continued to dominate and ended up victorious 46-13. This meant the team would go up against Georgia in the finals battling for Bronze.
After a very inspirational pep talk from their coach and a visit from Prince Harry, the team went back out in high spirits for an incredibly close and tense match. Georgia scored the first points but the UK were not letting them have it easy. Paul Gray and Chaze Melluish were on fire and we went into the second half with a considerable lead.
Georgia fought back and with minutes left on the clock the scores were neck and neck. Vicky ‘the boss’ Ross matched Georgia goal for goal and sank 4 hoops in a row, and with seconds left we managed to pull in front and we ended up taking the match 26-25 and being decorated in bronze. Such an exciting game!
Cycling
Cycling kicked off for the day with the time trial and the UK cycle team had their game faces on. The time trails were made up of 4 different categories: road bike, hand bike, recumbent and tandem. Each cyclist did 1 lap, and the competitor with the fastest time wins.
The men’s IRB1 were up first made up of 47 competitors across the nations, the UK representation was strong with Paul Inman, Richard Gray, James Rogers, Nigel White, Ian Fisher and Jonathan Platt battling it out for the fastest time. James Rogers lead the way, walking away with a bronze for the UK, with Richard Gray coming in a close 4th with only 1 second between them.
Russell Hunt, Dan Tasker, Dave Dewar, Denise Kidger and Paul 'Midge' Hartley also performed strong laps, but Victoria Wales was next to medal, earning herself a bronze in the IReB1.
Next up was the time criterium, where all riders start at the same time, and the quickest over the finish line wins. In the IRB1 race, Richard Gray was 1st in the heats, going through to the final alongside James Rogers and Paul Inman, earning 4th, 5th and 12th place respectively.
Cycling coach Heidi added: "I'm so proud of the Team UK cyclists and the progress we have made since starting this journey in 2019. Everyone rode a strong individual time trial and tactical criterium race, celebrating personal achievements and goals. We are especially proud of the lasting bonds and friendships within the team which have resulted in impressive performances today."
On the final days of the games, Team UK once again did us proud.
Share
