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Danielle Aitchison in Paris in 2023.
photo: AFP/Elvio Jean-Marie
New Zealand won one silver and one bronze medal on day four of the Paris Paralympic Games.
Sprinter Danielle Aitchison won silver in the women’s 200m T36 final at the Paris Paralympics, while Nicole Murray won bronze in the women’s C5 3000 individual pursuit at the Velodrome.
This is New Zealand’s third Paralympic medal after cyclist Anna Taylor Won the silver medal earlier this week.
Aitchison put in a strong performance in the hot and humid Stade de France but ultimately had to lose out to China’s Shi Yiting, who set a Paralympic record of 27.50 seconds, 0.14 seconds ahead of the New Zealander.
The 23-year-old from Hamilton was slightly behind Shi Yuqi, who was chasing the three-time Paralympic champion in the event, heading into the final sprint, with the duo creating a thrilling finish as the New Zealander tried to catch the Chinese athlete.
Unfortunately for Aitchison, she was unable to do so, having won the event at the 2024 Para Athletics World Championships in Kobe in May, setting a world record of 27.47 seconds, but she was still satisfied with taking the silver medal while also setting one of the fastest competitive times of her career.
“It was definitely a tough race, I felt like I had a lot of strength at the start and I was neck and neck with Ryo Ishikawa on the final straight, it was a serious race,” she said.
“I was a bit disappointed in the last five metres and was really tired.
“I felt really tired – I stayed up late (after the heat of the night) and didn’t go to bed until this morning. I’m happy with the time, it’s been great.”
“My mum was in the crowd and it was amazing to have nine supporters watching me. It was a completely different experience to Tokyo.”
Aitchison, who has cerebral palsy, was mentored by Alan McDonald in 2018.
She won the silver medal in the women’s 200m T36 and bronze medal in the women’s 100m T36 at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics.
Acheson and current world champion Shi Zhengrong are long-time rivals, both of whom have frequently finished on the podium in international competitions and broken each other’s records.
Acheson She had previously broken the 200m Paralympic record in the qualifying round.with a score of 28.21 seconds.
Nicole Murray at the 2023 Cycling World Championships.
photo: Svix
Murray beat Italy’s Claudia Creti in the bronze medal final of the women’s C5 3000m individual pursuit to ensure New Zealand’s second podium finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics in a race that took less than three hours.
Despite forgetting her prosthetic leg, the New Zealander had previously broken her national record in qualifying with a time of 3:37.599, more than two and a half seconds faster than before, and the 31-year-old Cambridge Para-cyclist went one better in the final to claim the bronze medal.
She dominated from the 1000m checkpoint, finishing more than three seconds ahead of her Italian rival and maintaining a strong pace for the remainder of the race.
Murray quickly closed in on the struggling Kready and crossed the finish line in 3:36.201, breaking the New Zealand record she had set earlier in the day, completing a superb ride.
In the all-French final, Marie Patouillet defeated reigning world champion Heidi Gaugain to take gold.
“I’m so happy,” Murray said. “It’s my first Paralympic medal, it feels amazing and I’m so happy to be able to honor my team, all the people around me and the hard work they’ve put in for me. It’s great to be able to share this feeling with them.”
She said leaving her prosthesis in the Paralympic Village in order to qualify “definitely wasted my time at the start of the competition”.
But the team came together and allowed me to wear the prosthesis for the finals. I finished the finals with more stability and consistency.
“I was trying to pull myself together to get on the podium – and when I hugged my parents, the podium came. It was surreal. It was the first time they had seen me compete in an international competition, so it was very special. When you’re on the road with a team, you endure all the highs and lows, and they become like your family. It’s always great to have that support around you.”
All three athletes from the New Zealand Shooting Para-Sports team competed at the Châteauroux Shooting Centre, but none made it to the final.
Six-time Paralympian Michael Johnson placed 20th in the R5 Hybrid Air Rifle Prone SH2 qualifying event.
Neelam O’Neill and Greg Reid failed to advance to the R3 Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone SH1 quarterfinals. In the qualifying round, O’Neill was 21st and Reid was 31st.
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