Kadeena Cox secures Paralympic redemption by retaining mixed team sprint title
The trio were just 0.159 seconds outside the world-record pace they registered in Japan three years ago.
Kadeena Cox secured Paralympic redemption by retaining the mixed team sprint title alongside Jaco van Gass and Jody Cundy as Great Britain added three more golds on the final day of track cycling in Paris.
The 33-year-old was left distraught on day one of the Games when her eight-year reign as C4-5 time trial champion agonisingly ended following a fall on the first bend of her final.
Back at the velodrome three days on, Cox fared considerably better, teaming up with fellow multiple gold medallists Van Gass and Cundy to comfortably keep hold of the C1-5 crown claimed at Tokyo 2020.
The trio were just 0.159 seconds outside the world-record pace they registered in Japan three years ago and 1.826 seconds faster than silver medallists Spain.
“It was hard to get out there and I’m grateful to these boys, the rest of the team, my family, everyone who messaged me to get me out there and have the confidence to get on the start line,” said Cox.
“It’s been a rough few days so to be able to come back and do this, I’m proud of myself and I’m proud of the team that we’ve come together once again and dominated.
“We have highs and we have lows and I had a full-on low but the team is always there to lift you up and this is a great team.”
Cundy collected the ninth Paralympic gold of his career – the first came as a swimmer at Atlanta in 1996 – following the disappointment of his fourth-placed finish in the men’s C4-5 1000m time trial on Friday.
“Another gold medal around my neck and it’s fabulous,” said the 45-year-old.
Van Gass had already retained C3 individual pursuit gold in France and was only denied the C1-3 1000m time trial title by factored times after twice breaking the world record.
“I knew that with everything that’s happened over the last couple of days, these guys would have a fire in their belly,” said the Afghanistan veteran.
“It gelled very well. It always does with this team and we’re very happy.”
Earlier, James Ball and tandem pilot Steffan Lloyd clinched gold for Britain in the men’s B 1000m time trial, before Sophie Unwin and pilot Jenny Holl topped the podium in the women’s B 3000m individual pursuit.
In a reverse of the British one-two in Tokyo, Ball pushed defending champion Neil Fachie and his pilot Matthew Rotherham into silver.
“Waiting for your turn to go up, we knew we’d have to follow something big from Matt and Neil, that’s how it’s always gone,” said Ball.
“We have been working for this a long time and it has paid off today. It makes everything worth it.”
Fachie’s wife Lora, who started Sunday as back-to-back champion, and her pilot Corrine Hall had to settle for bronze as team-mate Unwin took her individual pursuit title after setting a new world record of three minutes 17.643 seconds in qualifying.
Ireland’s Katie-George Dunlevy was second alongside Eve McCrystal, while Lizzi Jordan and Danni Khan were beaten in the bronze medal race by Fachie and Hall.
“This was the event we wanted,” said Unwin.
“It’s unbelievable, after the world champs last year, Jenny went ‘let’s go for the world record’. I said ‘sure, Jenny’.”
