Rio De Janeiro: Dutch sprinter Marlou van Rhijn notched up her second consecutive Paralympic 200m T44 title on Thursday with a resounding win at Rio’s Olympic stadium.
The 24-year-old world champion and world record holder sped past Germany’s Irmgard Bensusan and French 400m T44 champion Marie-Amelie le Fur as she came off the bend, crossing the line with a new T43 Paralympic record of 26.16.
“It feels amazing. After winning gold in London I worked for four years to retain the title and to get another Paralympic gold and that it just happened, it worked out, is such an amazing feeling,” said van Rhijn.
Bensusan (26.90) and le Fur (27.11) held on for silver and bronze respectively.
Australia’s Scott Reardon (12.26) won his first Paralympic title as he took the tape in a thrilling men’s 100m T42.
Great Britain’s Richard Whitehead (12.32) and Denmark’s Daniel Wagner (12.32) could not be split in the battle for second place: both were awarded silver.
Namibia’s world silver medallist Ananias Shikongo (22.44) won a spectacular men’s 200m T11 final as he turned the tables on Brazil’s world gold medallist and defending Paralympic champion Felipe Gomes.
The 30-year-old had to come from behind after a strong start by Gomes, and at the half-way mark the pair were neck and neck. But Shikongo gave it everything as he raced to the line, dipping over with a new Paralympic record.
Gomes (22.52) finished just behind while bronze went to his Brazilian teammate Daniel Silva (23.04).
Cuba’s Leinier Savon Pineda (10.97) got off to a terrific start in the men’s 100m T12 final, and he held his form well to take gold ahead of South Africa’s Ndodomzi Ntutu (11.09) and Germany’s Thomas Ulbricht (11.39), silver and bronze medallists respectively.
Team USA completed their second clean sweep out on the track as Tatyana McFadden led the way home in a tactically run women’s 5,000m T54.
McFadden, who had already won two individual golds and a silver at Rio 2016, let the rest of the field do much of the work as she timed her finish to perfection, holding off the chasing pack as she crossed the line in 11:54.07.
Chelsea McClammer (11:54.33) and Amanda McGrory (11:54.34) finished in second and third place, reversing their order from Tuesday’s 1,500m T54 final.
China came out on top in the women’s 4x100m T35-38 as the quartet of Fenfen Jiang, Junfei Chen, Yingli Li and Xiaoyan Wen also broke the world record, taking 0.82 off the previous mark set by Great Britain as they finished in 50.81. Great Britain won silver (51.07) and Australia took bronze (55.09).
Thailand’s Pongsakorn Paeyo added the 800m T53 title to his gold over 400m as he powered through in the closing stages of the race to take the win in 1:40.78. Frenchman Pierre Fairbank (1:40.970 lost out on the line to take second as Canada’s Brent Lakatos (1:41.09) took third – completing a full set of medals after winning 100m T53 gold and 400m T53 silver.
World records fell out in the field as Tunisia’s Raoua Tlili added the discus F41 title to the shot put gold she won last Friday.