Thursday, August 30, 2012

Aussies are world beaters from day one

AUSTRALIAN cyclist Jayme Paris set a world record in the opening session at the Paralympics, but failed to win a medal. Teammate Susan Powell qualified in world-record time and Sophie Pascoe beat her previous world record in the pool. But who won Australia's first medal?

Parramatta Cycling Club's Simone Kennedy clinched second overall in the women's individual C1-2-3 pursuit in 4:24.893, almost four seconds behind China's recently crowned world record holder Zeng Sini.
Kennedy, a C3 rider with cerebral palsy, progressed to the gold medal race-off after going through second fastest with a qualifying time of 4:23.450.
Kennedy entered the London Games as the reigning world champion in the event after capturing the title earlier this year.
The Australian rode a gutsy race against an opponent she knew she had to hunt, with Zeng setting a new world record of 4:19.841 in qualifying.
Kennedy rode out hard in an attempt to build an unassailable buffer and at one stage held a lead of two and a half seconds, but the experience and strategy of the Chinese rider proved too great as she had enough in the tank to chase her opponent down.
Earlier shooter Natalie Smith, who this year moved from Queensland to Victoria's Hidden Valley, scored 392-24x to finish third in the 10m Air Rifle - Standing, SH1, marking the culmination of a rapid rise for the 37-year-old.

Paralympian Jayme Paris

Simone Kennedy

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