Storey and Sandilands take GB to 38 golds in Paris

Sarah Storey and Ben Sandilands won quick-fire gold medals on Friday morning to take Great Britain’s tally to 38 golds at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.

Storey, 46, won the C4-5 women’s road race to claim her 19th career Paralympic gold, edging out France’s Heidi Gaugain at the finish.

Sandilands, 21, set a new world record in the men’s T20 1500m final to win on his Paralympic debut.

Elsewhere in Para-athletics, Marcus Perrineau Daley won silver in the men’s T52 100m final.

In Para-table tennis, William Bayley booked a place in Friday night’s MS7 final to guarantee him at least a silver medal.

Great Britain have won 87 medals so far at the Paralympics in Paris, including 38 golds. Only China, with 74 golds and 167 medals in total, are ahead of GB in the medal table.

On Wednesday morning, Storey won her 18th Paralympic gold medal in the women’s C5 time trial, fending off a challenge from French teenager Gaugain, 19.

The two did battle again on Friday, only this time over 71km rather than the 14.1km and, again, Storey came out on top against Gaugain.

Storey’s French challenger was not born when Storey claimed her 16th and final Paralympic medal at the 2004 Paralympic games in Athens, all of which were in Para-swimming.

With just one kilometre to go, Storey looked as if she would have to settle for a silver but fought back to fend off Gaugain’s late attack and claim her 30th career Paralympic medal.

Storey won by less than a second with a time of one hour 54 minutes 24 seconds.

Storey’s latest gold makes her only the fourth Paralympian to win 19 career gold medals.

In the men’s C4-5 road race final, GB’s Archie Atkinson and Blaine Hunt started the race, but did not finish.

Sandilands was the first member of ParalympicsGB to claim a medal on day nine in Paris.

The Scottish Paralympic debutant won the men’s T20 1500m by more than four seconds. In doing so, he broke the world record, previously held by Michael Brannigan of the USA by a tenth of a second, in a time of 3:45.40.

ParalympicsGB’s second medal on the track was won by Perrineau Daley, 35. Another Paralympic debutant, he crossed the line in 17.27 seconds, just over half a second behind Belgian winner Maxime Carabin.

In the women’s T20 1500m final, Hannah Taunton finished in fifth place, missing out on a medal by just over nine seconds.

Jonathan Broom-Edwards missed out on a medal in the men’s T64 high jump final, finishing in fifth place with a best completed jump of 1.89m.

Transgender athlete Valentina Petrillo is through to the semi-finals of the T12 200m after finishing third in her heat.

The 51-year-old Italian finished with a season best time of 25.95, just over half a second behind Simran of India, to qualify for the semi-finals, which take place at 18:42 BST on Friday. The final is at 18:33 on Saturday.

On Monday, Petrillo failed to reach the T12 400m final after finishing third in her semi-final despite recording a personal best time of 57.58.

Bayley may not have a 2024 Paralympic medal around his neck just yet, but a straight-game victory over Netherlands’ Jean Paul Montanus ensures he will end his MS7 men’s singles campaign with at least a silver medal.

The 36-year-old, who has won four medals previously at the Paralympics, won 11-7 11-6 11-2 against Montanus.

Bayley required only 20 minutes to set up a final against China’s Yan Shuo, who needed five sets to beat Charlempong Punpoo of Thailand.

That final is scheduled to start at 18:15 BST.

The British trio of Mark Tompsett, Louis Lawlor and William Ellard will all feature in Friday’s men’s S14 100m backstroke final after progressing through their heats.

Tompsett finished second fastest, with Australia’s Benjamin Hance faster by more than two and a half seconds, setting a new world record time of 56.52 seconds. The final starts at 18:04.

Poppy Maskill and Megan Neave both won their heats in the women’s S14 100m backstroke to reach the final, scheduled for 18:10.

Olivia Newman-Baronius will also feature, finishing second and within half a second of Neave.

Maisie Summers-Newton is also back in action, competing in the women’s S6 400m freestyle final at 16:51.

Bayley is not the only member of ParalympicsGB guaranteed a silver medal in Para-table tennis. Robert Davies faces Cuba’s Yunier Fernandez in the final of the men’s MS1 singles competition, set to start at 13:00.

In wheelchair tennis, the British duo of Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid are in the gold medal match, taking on Takuya Miki and Tokito Oda of Japan.

Matthew Harding will be part of the men’s -80kg Para-powerlifting final, starting at 17:35.

The women’s F46 javelin final takes place on Friday evening at 18:00, including GB’s Hollie Arnold.