Sunday Mirror

DREAM Heroes’ biggest-ever haul of 200 medals at Rio

- BY LEWIS PANTHER

HEROIC British athletes have earned enduring Olympic glory in Rio – winning an amazing 200 gold, silver and bronze medals.

Today’s closing ceremony at the Paralympic­s will see the curtain fall on a sensationa­l summer of recordbrea­king achievemen­ts – and our best-ever away Games.

Team GB stars Mo Farah, Nicola Adams, Andy Murray, Sir Bradley Wiggins and the Brownlee brothers Alistair and Jonny were among those who started the ball rolling by winning 67 medals during August.

Now their Paralympic­s counterpar­ts have crowned that by taking their tally to 135 by last night.

Dame Sarah Storey got the day off to an incredible start when she won Great Britain’s 60th gold medal in the women’s C4/C5 road race.

The 38-year-old cyclist claimed her third title of the Rio Paralympic­s and the 14th of a scintillat­ing career.

A bronze for the men’s wheelchair basketball team in a tense overtime session saw the joint efforts of the two teams hit the 200 mark.

Liz Nicholl, CEO of UK Sport, said: “Rio 2016 is further proof of the ef fectivenes­s of our highperfor­mance system across Olympic and Paralympic sport.

“The outstandin­g results at the ever-more-competitiv­e Paralympic Games show we have more strength in depth and breadth than ever before and our increased investment over this Rio cycle has been targeted in a way that has made a significan­t difference.

“Our athletes have prepared and performed quite exceptiona­lly in Rio, to deliver arguably the greatest achievemen­t in British sporting history. I hope the nation feels proud of and united by their team.”

Team GB’s Chef de Mission, Mark England, said: “What this team has delivered is an incredible achievemen­t and the country should be extremely proud. The best ever away Games is a piece of history and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to reach that target so on early on at Rio 2016.”

British Paralympic Associatio­n chief executive Tim Hollingswo­rth

 ??  ?? COCKAHOOP: World record joy for Hannah Cockroft as she passes the finish line for gold in the T34 400m SIM-PLY THE BEST Ellie Simmonds sheds tears of joy as she lands gold and a world record in S6 200m individual medley ON A HIGH Will Bayley was warned...
COCKAHOOP: World record joy for Hannah Cockroft as she passes the finish line for gold in the T34 400m SIM-PLY THE BEST Ellie Simmonds sheds tears of joy as she lands gold and a world record in S6 200m individual medley ON A HIGH Will Bayley was warned...

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