Schrager and Bate Win GB’s First Paralympic Medals: Daphne Schrager and Steve Bate won Great Britain’s first medals of the 2024 Paralympics in track cycling after teammate Kadeena Cox crashed out of her final.
Schrager won silver in the Women’s C1-3 3000 meter individual pursuit event while Bate, together with his pilot, Chris Latham, secured the silver medal in the Men’s B 4000 meter individual pursuit race.
In the women’s C4-5 500m time trial, Cox did not make it to the final, which was a lead-up to the first gold medal of the Games.
Britain’s four-time Paralympic cycling champion, Cox, who came in second fastest during the qualification events for the final in Paris , began the medal race badly and slipped while trying to steady herself on the first bend of the velodrome.
Schrager, the world champion in her specialism, then expected to grab GB’s first gold but had to be content with silver after a horrible showing against Xiaomee Wang of China in the final.
Thus, Wang finished the race 9.7 sec ahead of Schragger and left her almost on the distance of the next lap while setting a new world record.
Schrager, 23 years old, is a is a C2 world champion but for the first time in the Paralympics, he couldn’t clinch a gold in the combined event, which is contested at these Games.
‘A medal from Jackie Chan is just insane’
Schrager was nevertheless delighted with a debut Games medal and said, ‘Honestly, it’s just mesmerizing; I’ve been dreaming this since I was a kid.’ Many years down the line, I will still be looking at it [her medal].
”My coach told me once, ‘In four years, you will have that gold.’ We have made that bet now.”
Schrager also had a bonus of her lifetime when she received her medal from the icon of world cinema, Jackie Chan.
‘I have slept here for more than 8 hours; it was just insane!’ she exclaimed. It’s been like this with all his films; I was just like, Wow, you are actually real.
“I told my mom that I would not cry on the podium, then I did it—it’s one of those things.”
In the final track event of day one, Bate and Latham came 2. Two seconds shy from the world record holders Tristan Bangma and Patrick Bos of the Netherlands while the duo defended their Paralympic title they got in Tokyo.
Bate had earlier relegated Bangma to the second position in qualification just to have his times taken by the Dutchman, who went on to ride a second quicker than his previous time to clinch gold.
It is nevertheless an impressive showing from 47-year-old Bate, a two-time Paralympic winner and now five-time medalist in what could possibly be his last Olympics.
“All has been done to lead to this event; I have not planned much beyond this,” he said when asked if he would go for LA 2028.
“If this is my last event, a hell of a way to go out.” I have not yet thought about that; do the two road events, take some time off and see where we are at.
Caroline Groot vs Kadeena
Earlier, Caroline Groot of the Netherlands won gold in the 500m TT after creating a new world record in qualifying; Cox qualified for the final second on Thursday. It has been on average over a second quicker, with the quickest time registered at 35. By the time she completed 566 seconds, she was ahead of the rider behind her on the podium, from France, Marie Patouillet. Canada’s Kate O’Brien came in third.
Cox was to take part in the mixed team sprint event on Sunday, in which she is the defending champion but there was no information whether she got injured at the incident that took place on Thursday. She is also an ex-paralympian 400m gold medalist in athletics in the recent Rio Olympic games held in Brazil.
British Cycling posted on X: Unfortunate circumstances saw early Kadeena Cox fail to complete her final in the women’s C4-5 500m TT after a slip out of the start gate and a fall that led to DNF.
“Oh Kadeena, that’s so awkward for you.” Keep your heads up high. This tells me that people are looking forward to the day you will get back on track and show your talents.
In the men’s ‘C1’ 3000m individual pursuit final that was next, China took both gold and silver, with Zhangyu Li defeating fellow Chinese Weicong Liang in the final. In the bronze final, Ricardo Ten Argiles of Spain defeated Pierre Senska to third place.
