A total of 17 riders have been selected, including six who will be making their Paralympic debuts. There are also three Paralympic newcomers among the six pilots who will be competing at Paris 2024.
After their most successful Paralympic Games ever, which saw them bring home 24 medals from Tokyo, with every rider winning a medal, this year’s squad boasts a stacked lineup of seven reigning Paralympic champions across the road and track events in Paris.

In the women’s events, Dame Sarah Storey is set to return for a remarkable ninth Paralympic Games – the most number of appearances ever for a British athlete. Having chosen to focus on the road events, she will be looking to defend the titles she has held for the past three Games in the C5 time-trial and C4-5 road race.

Dame Sarah Storey said “Competing in nine Games is a dream I didn’t ever have. As a teenager I wanted to be an athlete for as long as I possibly could but always assumed I’d be too old by 46! I’ve got such a great support around me, led by my brilliant husband Barney and am very excited to pull on ParalympicsGB kit again.”

Joining her is familiar face Kadeena Cox, who will be hoping to continue her sprint dominance on the track in the individual C4-5 500m time-trial and the mixed team sprint.

Competing at the Paralympic Games for the first time, reigning C2 individual pursuit world champion Daphne Schrager will race in the C1-3 individual pursuit on the track, while fellow debutant Fran Brown contests the C1-3 500m time-trial. Both riders will then compete in the C1-2 road race and time-trial.

Daphne Schrager said: “I am so excited for my first Games; it’s going to be incredible experience and a phenomenal team environment to be part of. I am excited to show my best performances on the biggest stage and capitalise on my medal potential, let’s go!”

In the women’s B events, ParalympicsGB boasts incredible strength in depth as defending individual pursuit champion Lora Fachie and pilot Corrine Hall return for their third Paralympic Games. Having taken a silver and a bronze medal at their first Games in Tokyo, Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl will be looking to top off a stellar three years with Paralympic gold.

Meanwhile, debutants Lizzie Jordan and pilot Danni Khan will be looking to make their mark in Paris after taking three world titles in their first track event together earlier this year. All three pairings will compete at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome to contest the 1,000m time-trial and individual pursuit events before moving on to the road race and time-trial.

Competition is equally fierce in the men’s events, where current Paralympic and world individual pursuit champion Jaco van Gass once again goes head-to-head with teammate Fin Graham in the C3 category. Both riders will contest the C3 individual pursuit, while van Gass will also join the mixed team sprint as they aim to defend their Paralympic title. Ben Watson will join the duo as all three compete in the C3 time-trial and C1-3 road race.

They will be joined by Para cycling star Jody Cundy, who heads to Paris for an eighth Paralympic Games, where he will compete in the C4-5 1,000m time-trial, before joining Cox and van Gass in the mixed team sprint event.

Jody Cundy said: “Every Paralympic selection is just as special as the last one and I’m incredibly proud and grateful to be still representing my country at Paralympic Games level. The development of the Games and the Paralympic movement as a whole since my first experience 1996 is just incredible and hopefully this Games will continue to inspire the next generation.”

Matt Robertson, Archie Atkinson and Blaine Hunt will head to the French capital for the first time as part of the ParalympicsGB squad, hoping to make it onto the podium across the road and track.

Having worked through a long period of recovery after a road-traffic accident in 2022, Robertson will make his Paralympic debut in the C2 individual pursuit on the track, as well as the C2 time-trial, before joining his teammates in the C1-3 road race.

After a breakout first year on the programme, current C4 individual pursuit world champion Archie Atkinson will be looking to add Paralympic champion to his palmares in the C4 track event. He will also compete in the C4-5 1,000m time-trial, C4-5 road race and C4-5 time-trial.

Atkinson will have some British competition in the C4-5 1,000m time-trial as fellow debutant and C5 1,000m time-trial world champion Blaine Hunt will be looking to make the top step in Paris. Hunt will also contest the C5 individual pursuit and the C4-5 road race.

The men’s B events will also be hotly contested on the track as two-time Paralympic and 10-time world 1,000m time-trial champion Neil Fachie and pilot Matt Rotherham look to defend their title. James Ball returns for his third Games with debutant pilot Steffan Lloyd, with the pair contesting the 1,000m time-trial. The individual pursuit will see all three male tandems, including two-time Paralympic champion Steve Bate and debutant pilot Chris Latham, looking to take the top step. Bate and Latham will also compete in the road events.

Performance Director for the Great Britain Cycling Team, Stephen Park CBE said: “I am incredibly excited for every one of the 23 riders that have been selected to represent ParalympicsGB this summer in Paris. We are blessed with so much incredible talent across the programme, so just being selected is an incredible achievement that each athlete should be proud of.

“The strength and depth across our team is unmatched. We have Dame Sarah Storey and Jody Cundy competing at their ninth and eighth Games respectively, plus new talent including Archie Atkinson and Lizzie Jordan who are ready to show the world what they can achieve.

“ParalympicsGB has a strong history of cycling success at the Paralympic Games and I am confident that this Games will continue that trend of medal-winning performances to hopefully inspire those watching at home to get on a bike and find the joy of cycling.”

Penny Briscoe, Chef de Mission for ParalympicsGB at Paris 2024 said: “I’m delighted to be able to welcome such a stellar group of athletes to the ParalympicsGB team for Paris 2024. Our cycling squads have a proven track record of success on the international stage and I have no doubt they will do us proud once again this summer.”

ParalympicsGB cycling squad:

Men’s B

James Ball (Ponthir,Wales) piloted by Steffan Lloyd (Llandysul, Wales) – MB 1,000m time-trial, MB individual pursuit

Steve Bate (Moray, Scotland) piloted by Chris Latham (Bolton) – MB individual pursuit, MB road race, MB time-trial

Neil Fachie (Aberdeen) piloted by Matt Rotherham (Bolton) – MB 1,000m time-trial, MB individual pursuit

Men’s C2

Matt Robertson (Kent) – C2 individual pursuit, C2 time-trail, C1-3 road race

Men’s C3

Fin Graham (Strathpeffer, Scotland) – C3 individual pursuit, mixed team sprint, C3 time-trial, C1-3 road race

Jaco van Gass (Reading) – C1-3 1,000m time-trial, C3 individual pursuit, C3 time-trial, C1-3 road race

Ben Watson (Glossop, North West) – C3 time-trial, C1-3 road race

Men’s C4

Archie Atkinson (Heaton Moor, Cheshire) – C4 individual pursuit, C4-5 1,000m time-trial, C4 time-trial, C4-5 road race

Jody Cundy (Wisbech, Cambridgeshire) – C4-5 1,000m time-trial, mixed team sprint

Men’s C5

Blaine Hunt (London) – C5 individual pursuit, C4-5 road race

Women’s B

Lora Fachie (Liverpool) piloted by Corrine Hall (Mitcham, London) – WB 1,000m time-trial, WB individual pursuit, WB time-trial, WB road race

Lizzi Jordan (Guildford, Surrey) piloted by Danni Khan (Solihull, West Midlands) – WB 1,000m time-trial, WB individual pursuit, WB time-trial, WB road race

Sophie Unwin (Devon) piloted by Jenny Holl (Blair Drummond, Scotland) – WB 1,000m time-trial, WB individual pursuit, WB time-trial, WB road race

Women’s C1

Fran Brown (Truro, Cornwall) – C1-3 500m time-trial, C1-3 road race, C1-3 time-trial

Women’s C2

Daphne Schrager (Malmesbury, Wiltshire) – C1-3 individual pursuit, C1-3 road race, C1-3 time-trial

Women’s C4

Kadeena Cox (Leeds) – C4-5 500m time-trial, mixed team sprint

Women’s C5

Dame Sarah Storey (Disley, Manchester) – C5 time-trial, C4-5 road race

A total of around 220 athletes from 19 sports are expected to make up the British team that will compete in Paris, with further names to be announced by ParalympicsGB in the coming days. At Tokyo 2020, ParalympicsGB won medals across a record breaking 18 different sports – the highest number of any nation ever. ParalympicsGB finished second on the medal table with 124 medals overall, including 41 gold, 38 silver and 45 bronze.

With thanks to ParalympicsGB

The British Olympic Association (BOA) has today named the final cyclists that will make up the 30-strong squad to represent Team GB at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The 12 athletes announced include seven Olympic medallists and five debutants from the BMX racing, BMX freestyle park, track and road disciplines, with parity in the number of male and female riders representing Team GB across the full squad.

World Champion Kieran Reilly will take his trademark flair and awe-inspiring tricks to the park in Paris, having secured his individual spot to the Games through two third place performances in the new Olympic Qualifying Series (OQS).

Joining him in Paris will be reigning Olympic Champion Charlotte Worthington, who won gold in Tokyo with a groundbreaking performance which saw her become the first woman ever to land a 360 backflip.

BMX racing Olympic Champion Beth Shriever will defend the women’s title having recovered from a recent collarbone injury. Since her Olympic debut in Tokyo, Shriever has become a double World Champion, and will head to Paris looking to add more silverware to her collection. Olympic silver medallist Kye Whyte will represent Team GB in the men’s event, having also recovered from a recent injury sustained at the 2024 World Championship.

Lizzie Deignan will take to the start line for an impressive fourth Olympic Games in the women’s road race, heading up a team which also features three-time National Champion Pfeiffer Georgi, National time-trial Champion Anna Henderson, and Anna Morris.

Over on the track, Elinor Barker will represent Team GB in the endurance events at her third Games, while Neah Evans and Josie Knight will both return to the Games for a second time in the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome. Debutants Anna Morris and Jess Roberts will join the experienced team as they look to better their team pursuit silver medal from Tokyo.

Team GB Chef de Mission, Mark England OBE, said: “BMX freestyle and racing captured the nation’s imagination in Tokyo, and I am delighted to welcome back Beth, Charlotte and Kye to Team GB, whilst we warmly welcome Kieran for his first Olympic Games with us. A huge congratulations to Lizzie for what will be her fourth Games appearance, and along with Pfeiffer, and both Anna Henderson and Anna Morris, we are eagerly anticipating what awaits these four brilliant cyclists on the road in Paris.

“Finally, we are very proud of Team GB’s extraordinary record in the velodrome over recent Olympic Games. We are delighted to have Elinor, Josie, and Neah returning to Team GB this summer, as well as Jess Roberts who will be making her Games debut. We have every confidence that this team can continue our formidable run on the track this summer in Paris.”

Performance Director for the Great Britain Cycling Team, Stephen Park CBE, said: “I’m hugely excited for each of and every one of the riders we have announced today to represent Team GB in Paris, which completes our team selection for the Games.

“We’re blessed with an incredible depth of talent and experience across all five of the cycling disciplines, and I know that the squad will benefit hugely from the likes of Lizzie Deignan and Elinor Barker who will join us for their fourth and third Games respectively.

“Achieving gender parity across the squad is something we’ve been working towards for a number of years, and I’m hugely proud of the work our support staff have done to support our three mums on the squad, who are blazing a trail for women at the highest level of elite sport.

“Our riders have delivered some of the most iconic and memorable Olympic moments of recent times, and I have every faith that our riders can inspire the nation once again at Paris 2024.”

Eyeru was nominated to take part in the Torch Relay by the Department of Calvados, which will host the team’s Welcome Event in Caen and Bayeux in July, shortly before the start of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

Eyeru began her leg of the Torch Relay next to the Tree of Liberty, a powerful symbol of freedom in the French town. Bayeux has a long-standing history of supporting refugees and a connection with those affected by war, due to its significant role during World War II.

Having first ridden a bike in her native Ethiopia aged 16, Eyeru achieved second place in both the time trial and road races in the National Championships. When war broke out in her home country, she was forced to seek refuge in France and stop her cycling career.

Thanks to the support of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, the UCI and the Olympic Refuge Foundation, Eyeru became a Refugee Athlete Scholarship-holder, and was therefore able to revive her sporting career. On 2 May, she was officially announced as a member of the Refugee Olympic Team for Paris 2024. In spite of the hurdles she has had to overcome, she credits cycling with saving her life.

On carrying the torch, she said: “I never expected in my life that one day I would carry the Olympic torch. I thought it was too big for me. It’s unbelievable, and I am so happy and excited about this big moment of my life.”

“With this great experience and best moment of my life on being selected to carry the Olympic torch, I am super motivated to perform at my very best at the Olympic Games. It will give me extra energy, and I am looking forward to it.”

She added: “With this great experience and best moment of my life on being selected to carry the Olympic torch, I am super motivated to perform at my very best at the Olympic Games. It will give me extra energy, and I am looking forward to it.”

Eyeru is one of the 36 athletes who will compete in Paris as part of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team. Hosted by 15 National Olympic Committees and competing across 12 sports, the athletes represent the more than 100 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. The team is managed by the Olympic Refuge Foundation, which, in addition to the Refugee Olympic Team, supports young people affected by displacement across the globe in finding belonging and improving their mental health and well-being through sport.

With thanks to the Newsmarket

The GB Gold Medallists that are the driving force of the athlete purpose movement, Legacy 300, have launched a unique fundraising drive for community Sports clubs.

The Beat the Medallist challenge series centres around VIP hosted challenges in numerous sports enabling individuals or team entries to generate funds for Sports clubs or chosen good causes as well as competing against rival clubs in more neutral sporting arenas.

As they have already raised £506K for good causes through the Legacy 300 project, the athletes are hoping that the blanket coverage of the Tokyo games, will encourage Sports and other sports clubs to engage their members family, employers’, and friends to support participants as they take on GB Gold Medallists.

Beat the Medallist: A Unique Challenge

Each event will see the Olympic athletes set a target time on the day, those who fundraise for their club through provided auction platforms and donation pages, will get time bonuses to help them surpass the Gold Standard time. The more they raise the more chance they have to Beat the Medallist.

The challenge series starts with the first national event involving the GB Cyclists on November 12th at the Olympic Velodrome with the series continuing in 2022 with the GB Rowers and GB Slalom Canoeists hosting challenges at the iconic venues of Henley on Thames and the Olympic WhiteWater Centre, with further sporting events taking place as the project unfolds.

GB Cycling Gold Medallist Phil Hindes was looking forward to being part of this unique series having already posted a video message on social media urging people to get behind the Legacy 300 project. “As sports people we would love to see the vast majority of the next £500K we raise in donations to support grass root sports clubs. It is a great opportunity for cycling enthusiasts to be the focal point of the clubs fundraising. Looking forward to seeing as many clubs as possible represented on our charity days but be warned, I will not ease off I want to win as well.”

The project is looking to add to the £506K raised in donations by the Olympic athlete initiative Legacy 300, which sees participants pay for exclusive experience days themselves and create donations on top.

Interested Sports playing cyclists are invited to email david@legacy300.com or visit the events page  for further details on the Beat the Medallist project.

Courtesy of Legacy 300

World champions Unwin and Holl kept up with the leaders around the gruelling Fuji International Speedway course, only briefly dropping off the back of a breakaway made by Katie-George Dunlevy of Ireland and Sweden’s Louise Jannering.

Dunlevy and pilot Eve McCrystal sprinted away in the final stretch to claim their second gold of the Games, while Unwin pipped the Swedes on the line to add silver to their individual pursuit bronze on the track.

“It was a really tough race right from the start,” said 27-year-old Unwin.

“The descents were really hard, but we managed to get down them and once we were in that front group, we just aimed to stick in that group as long as we can and it worked for us.

“We weren’t expecting to come to this Games, so to come away with two medals is just incredible.”

ParalympicsGB teammate Lora Fachie, with her guide Corrine Hall, suffered an early mechanical issue that saw them over two minutes down after the first 13.2km lap.

The pair clawed some of the advantage back eventually joining up with fourth-placed Poland’s Justyna Kiryla to close the gap to 13 seconds with 66km gone, thanks in part to Unwin’s support up front.

However, Fachie could not push on and came home in fifth, four minutes down on the winners after a valiant effort to get back in the race.

In the men’s C4-5 road race, George Peasgood finished sixth, the first C4 rider to cross the line and did so miming a breaststroke action poking fun at the rainy conditions.

The 25-year-old, who has already claimed a silver in the PTS5 triathlon and a bronze in cycling’s C4 men’s time trial in Tokyo, did not have the pace to keep up with the breakaway of C5 riders.

France’s Kevin le Cunff came away with the gold, with Yehor Dementyev and Daniel Abraham Gebru in silver and bronze, as Peasgood finished 5:22 behind the champion.

Peasgood said: “That was pretty good, coming into it I knew everyone else has done the TT as well and I didn’t feel bad coming into the time trial and didn’t feel bad coming into the road race.

“It was just about going out there, getting in the mix, racing a load of C5 guys so just to try and keep in the mix as much as possible and try not to do too much work too early as well.”

Steve Bate and pliot Adam Duggleby were unable to start the men’s B road race having been forced to pull out of the time trial with a heavy crash.

But the pair still leave Tokyo with silver from the track – with every ParalympicsGB cyclist winning at least one medal in these Games.

Courtesy of ParalympicsGB

The cyclist dominated the women’s C5 time trial at the Fuji International Speedway and won by 92 seconds from teammate Crystal Lane-Wright for her second gold of the 2020 Games to become ParalympicsGB’s most successful athlete of all-time.

Storey now has the chance to take the golds record outright by winning the most precious metal for a 17th time, and a 28th total medal, in Thursday’s road race but for now she’s revelling in the latest achievement of a sensational career.

“I never set out on this journey to be Britain’s greatest Paralympian but to match the best man and to have more other medals is just a dream come true,” she said.

“Sweet 16!! Can I be 16 again?! As I said the other day, I would never have imagined getting to 15.

“It is amazing. It was one of the most perfect days today, the conditions were perfect, it was not too hot. No wind. Though I like it when it is windy.

“The course is super quick. The corners were really grippy and I rode a really good line and carried speed. I got caught up in a bit of traffic at times perhaps as I was going a bit quicker than they had anticipated.

“I am just so chuffed. I have been preparing for this for such a long time. There have been so many parts to it, both my bike and physical preparations.”

Storey has little time to reflect on her latest masterclass and must now prepare for the C4-5 road race in just 48 hours’ time.

She is one of 16 riders in the race and will again face stiff competition from teammate Lane-Wright.

“I need to have a think now about the road race. I take it one race at a time. The road race is over six laps of a slightly longer course than the one we had this morning,” she added.

“I have obviously ridden it a few times. I will need my tactical head on. There are a number of girls that are incredibly well positioned, who race incredibly well.”

Storey completed three laps of the 8km course in 36:08.90, while Lane-Wright again had to settle for silver in a repeat of the British one-two from the 3000m individual pursuit in the velodrome on day one.

Lane-Wright, who clocked 37:40.89, finished a further 54 seconds ahead of Germany’s bronze medallist Kerstin Brachtendorf.

Courtesy of ParalympicsGB

There have been some remarkable days in recent British cycling history and this belongs in that company, yielding five medals to swell the track haul to six golds and 14 gongs overall.

It started with Sophie Unwin, who was working in a supermarket in Kent just over a year ago and had never ridden a tandem, breaking the women’s B 3000m individual pursuit Paralympic record.

She and Jenny Holl clocked 3:22.670 in qualifying to lay down a marker.

Then along came Lora who, having watched Ireland’s Katie-George Dunlevy break the world record, brought down that new mark with an incredible 3:19.483.

Fachie and Corrine Hall delivered a dominant ride in the final to beat the Irish and retain their Paralympic title.

“I’d dreamt of this, we hoped that it would happen,” said Fachie. “I was scared it wouldn’t come true, but it did. We were both feeling the pressure this morning and quite stressed about it.

“I didn’t know what Ireland had done, and I’m quite glad about that. It’s a pretty special day.”

Neil won gold at London 2012 but missed out on sharing the moment with his wife at Rio 2016, when he took tandem kilo silver.

He has been a man on a mission ever since, pushing the boundaries of the event with Matt Rotherham and they lowered their own 59.278s world record to 58.038.

“You’re always aspiring for the perfect race, and it’s something you never achieve but I feel like that was pretty damn close,” said the 37-year-old.

“I knew we were fast, the bike felt fast. We just had to dig as deep in that last lap as we could. When Matt told me the time, I couldn’t believe it.”

Behind them in silver medal position was fellow Brit James Ball and pilot Lewis Stewart.

It was a special moment for the Welshman, who came fifth at Rio 2016 and failed to finish in the opening event of his programme in Tokyo, the 4000m individual pursuit.

Kadeena Cox, Jaco van Gass and Jody Cundy (Photo: Imagecomms/ParalympicsGB

The final track cycling event of the Games couldn’t have provided a better crescendo to a brilliant week in Izu, with ParalympicsGB taking gold in the mixed C1-5 750m team sprint.

Cox, Jaco van Gass and Jody Cundy combined to overhaul China, world record holders, favourites and 0.5 seconds quicker than the British trio in qualifying.

Cox’s searing lead out saw her cover the first lap in 20.032 and Cundy eventually threw the bike over the line ahead of Lai Shanzhang for a world record time of 47.579s.

Cox said: “Beating the boys makes it even sweeter for me. I could have been scared as the only woman racing a team of amazing guys, but I’m a great athlete in my own right.

“I’m just trying to show people that if you put your mind to something, you can absolutely nail it. I’ve not done sub-20 before and I’ve done it twice in 48 hours now!”

Van Gass said: “We’re from very different backgrounds but we have the common interest of giving our best and being the best athletes and individuals we can be.

“It doesn’t matter where you’re from, what race, what colour you are, we all have a common interest of riding the best we can and winning gold and that’s what we did.”

Courtesy of ParalympicsGB

The 30-year-old stopped the clock in 34.812 seconds to give her a factored time of 34.433 and triumph by more than a second from Canada’s Kate O’Brien, as she registered GB’s ninth track cycling medal in just three days.

Cox is bidding to repeat her double gold from Rio, where she became the first ParalympicsGB athlete to win gold in two sports at the same Games since 1984.

She defends her T38 400m title on the athletics track next Saturday and admits this is the perfect way to start Tokyo 2020.

“It feels amazing,” she said. “I knew I was going to have to do something special.

“I knew if I put everything together me and my coach have worked on, it would be amazing and that’s what happened, so I am so happy.

“I was not paying attention to what anyone else was doing, I was just listening to my gospel music and just reading messages from my family and focussing on that. I got up and did my own thing.

“I think today I executed a race that was near-perfect and maybe I will go quicker tomorrow [in the mixed team sprint] with the boys either side of me.”

Cox had also dyed her hair red and blue ahead of the Games, in homage to the Great Britain flag.

“I like to be different so I thought blue and red will match the kit,” she smiled. “I thought it would make me stand out and be the quirky Kadeena that I am.”

Cox’s gold came just half an hour after Jaco van Gass won his second medal in two days with bronze in the men’s C1-3 1000m time trial.

Van Gass, who won gold in the individual pursuit on Thursday, set a new world record in the C3 category by clocking 1:05.569.

He finished 1.69s off the factored time of Chinese C1 cyclist Li Zhangyu, who defended the title he won in Rio with a C1 world record, while Frenchman Alexandre Leaute broke the C2 world record for silver.

Van Gass said: “That’s as much as I can give, I promise you that.

“The legs felt a little bit heavy, especially that last lap. Felt like treacle. But I gave it my all. The standard is phenomenal. you can see it in C1, 2 and 3 classes.

“The gameplan for today was always the world record, that was my goal, if it came with a medal like it did then it was a bonus. So I’m very happy.”

It was Van Gass’s second of five events at Tokyo 2020 and his attention will now turn to the mixed team sprint on Friday, where he will race alongside Cox and Jody Cundy.

“Kadeena just rode a fantastic opening lap, sub-20 seconds, so I’ve got to sit behind her tomorrow,” added Van Gass.

“It’s going to be very hard work staying behind her and delivering Jody at a very high speed. It’s all about recovery now, and go again tomorrow.”

Courtesy of ParalympicsGB

The pair won silver together at London 2012 and got the band back together at 12 weeks’ notice after Sophie Thornhill’s retirement left pilot Scott without a stoker.

It all came together and a time of 1:06.743 was enough for Scott’s fifth Paralympic medal and McGlynn’s sixth, the first of which came at Athens 2004.

Scott said: “I thought the Games weren’t going to happen for me and I’m so thankful that Aileen was happy to give it another go.

“We’ve ridden together before but that was nine years ago. To do what we’ve done in 12 weeks, I couldn’t believe it when I saw the clock and the time we’d put out.

“We’ve got a new friendship again and we’ve just had the best time.”

Lora Fachie and pilot Corrine Hall just missed out on a medal in fourth, with Sophie Unwin and her pilot Jenny Holl one place further back in the event won by Larissa Klaassen and Imke Brommer of the Netherlands.

Meanwhile Jaco van Gass smashed the world record and then won gold in the C3 3000m individual pursuit, leading a British one-two with Finlay Graham on another brilliant day for ParalympicsGB in the velodrome.

In his qualifying ride Graham, just 21 years old, brought down the seven-year world record – the oldest in track para-cycling – with an incredible 3:19.780 in his first Paralympic race.

About 20 minutes later Van Gass, never to be outdone, went 3:17.593 to break the original record, set by Russia’s Alexey Obydennov at high altitude, by nearly nine seconds.

“This record was a big aim for me for a very long time,” said the 35-year-old. “I needed to push this boundary further and further.

“Because of the lack of competition, I had no idea where the world was and whether they’d aim for something like a 3:25 and be happy.

“A couple of weeks ago, I did a 3:21 and that gave me a great deal of confidence.

“All the praise goes to little Fin, he pushed me really hard. To be honest, the 3:19 was my aim and then he rode it, so I had to recalculate and go faster!

“He pushed me really hard in the final. I was on my last legs to be very honest. He’s ridden fantastically and is a great team-mate.”

The back-to-back world records meant the pair faced off in the final, with Van Gass taking victory by a narrow margin of 1.13 seconds in a winning time of 3:20.987.

It is the latest chapter in Van Gass’s remarkable life story. He lost his left arm and needed 11 operations after being hit by a grenade on active service in Afghanistan in 2009.

Since then, he has become a first-class downhill skier, run multiple marathons, climbed mountains in the Himalayas and trekked to the North Pole with a record-breaking team of wounded soldiers, partly accompanied by Prince Harry.

“At this very moment in time, this at the top. It’s the best thing I’ve done,” he said.

“I have done some amazing stuff and they all have their difficulties and today was very tough. This is definitely up there.”

It is the start of a hectic schedule for Van Gass, who has two further events on the track and two on the road.

For Graham, it was a dream Paralympic debut. He has only raced the distance twice at major events, finishing fourth at the 2019 World Championships and fifth in 2020.

“It means everything,” said the 21-year-old. “Even if it was only for a short time, it’s so nice to say that I’ve broken the world record at the Paralympics. It stood for so long.

“The extra year has given me the time to prepare to do that. If the Games were last year, I wouldn’t have been in such a good position.”

Earlier, Jody Cundy became the first British athlete to win a medal at seven Paralympic Games with silver in the men’s C4-5 1000m time trial.

Cundy produced a Paralympic record ride of 1:01.847 when it mattered.

It would need a world record to end the evergreen 42-year-old’s nine-year unbeaten streak in the event – and that’s what Spain’s Alfonso Cabello Llamas produced, with 1:01.577.

“Nobody ever wants to win a silver medal, but I didn’t lose the gold, I won the silver today,” said Cundy, who won his 11th Paralympic medal and sixth in cycling.

“It’s the best performance I’ve ever done, and sadly it wasn’t quite enough. I was watching him and thinking, ‘go on, die a little bit more, a little bit more,’ but it didn’t happen.

“We didn’t get to race properly in London, I took revenge in Rio and now he’s got it back from me. Maybe we make a thing of it in Paris and go again. We need to settle it.”

Courtesy of ParalympicsGB

So often the standard bearer for the team, it seemed fitting Storey got the medal count rolling as British cyclists claimed gold and two silvers at the Izu Velodrome.

It’s 29 years since Storey made her debut as a 14-year-old swimmer in Barcelona – and nearly three decades and 26 medals later, including 15 gold, she shows no signs of slowing down, in fact quite the opposite.

The C5 3000m individual pursuit was a title she won in Beijing, London and Rio and she set down a marker in qualifying to smash her own world record from five years ago.

Indeed her time of 3.27.057 time would have beaten fellow multi-sport Brit Rebecca Romero, who won the gold when this event was last contested at the Olympics in 2008.

“It’s quite overwhelming,” said Storey, who needs one more gold in Tokyo to equal the all-time British Paralympic record of swimmer Mike Kenny.

“It’s hard to put into words. I’ve won a medal at every single Games I’ve been to and this is my fourth time in a row winning the individual pursuit.

“I broke the world record in Beijing, in London, in Rio and here but I never expected to go as quick as I did. It is fantastic to see the event getting faster. I just need to keep getting faster as well.

“I knew it was in me but I just needed to get the right day and right preparation. It has been an incredibly difficult preparation because it is so different to what I am used to. I just had to call upon all of my experience and know that I was capable of staying calm under that pressure.

“I am my own biggest competitor. I never feel like I am that far ahead. My flatmates will tell you that this week, I have been like: ‘Have I got enough in the tank?’.

“I never like to assume everything is in that place. I just like to let the legs do the talking on race day.”

After setting a PB in qualifying, team-mate Crystal Lane-Wright was the best of the rest in silver but Storey – who caught and overtook her fellow Brit in the gold medal race – remains a class apart, with two road events to come next week, starting with Tuesday’s time trial.

“I think because of the year we’ve had, everything is a bonus,” said Lane-Wright.

“I’m not looking at it as a gold, silver, bronze. I think that in this current climate the power of sport is even more than medals at the moment.

“Obviously I would love to be here saying I’ve won but I’m very happy with my performance.”

Defending men’s B 4000m individual pursuit champion Stephen Bate and pilot Adam Duggleby took silver as the Netherlands’ Tristan Bangma, and pilot Patrick Bos, scorched to a new world record in qualifying and then hammered down their form in the final.

“That’s what you call a classic kicking, we did what we could but it wasn’t enough, their performance was phenomenal and sometimes you need to settle for second,” said Bate.

“Emotionally it’s disappointing but logically we need to be realistic. We gave everything we had, it just wasn’t good enough. I’m just pleased to be standing here with a medal because it could have gone a lot worse.”

Elsewhere, Neil Fachie is predicting fireworks ahead of this weekend’s men’s B 1000m time trial. He and pilot Matthew Rotherham were always using today’s 4000m as a tune-up for their main event.

They are the defending world champions in the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it ‘kilo’ while Fachie, the gold medallist from London 2012, is still smarting about silver in Rio.

“I’d be surprised if our event isn’t won in a world record time, that’s what we are anticipating and what we’re aiming for,” said Fachie, 37, who made his Paralympic debut in Beijing in athletics before switching to cycling.

“I’ve never been in better shape, we’ve done everything right and it’s just a waiting game – it’s frustrating because we want to show the world what we are capable of. We feed off the big game and that’s coming on Saturday.”

Courtesy of ParalympicsGB