Gold rush goes on as Aussies close on top-five finish at Games

THEY came in sailboats, swimsuits and tricycles, as Australia’s dream of a top-five Paralympic Games finish came closer to reality with another bumper gold medal haul in Rio yesterday.

Officially, the Aussies closed the day with three more golds, highlighted by Carol Cooke’s road cycling double, Ellie Cole’s emotional backstroke victory and schoolgirl Maddison Elliott becoming the nation’s most decorated 2016 Games athlete with her third in the pool.

The day-nine return elevated Australia’s team total to 17 golds, two clear of sixth-placed Germany – but that was before the addition of two more sailing titles overnight.

Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch secured the SKUD18 class with two races still to run, ensuring their place in history as the first team to win backto-back Paralympic titles.

They were joined with an insurmountable lead by the Sonar trio of Colin Harrison, Russell Boaden and Jonathan Harris, who wrapped up the gold with a race still to come.

Neither was to be added to the overall collection until medal ceremonies in the early hours of this morning.

Australia’s golden day was launched by cyclist Cooke, who backed up her time-trial victory on Thursday with a 17s win in the road race.

The former Canadian undercover police officer was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998, just four years after moving to Australia.

Her symptoms are aggravated by heat and exertion – making competing in the stifling Rio conditions a challenge.

Elliott, 17, scored a world record on the way to her third gold in the S9 50m freestyle, becoming the first woman in her class to clock a time under 30s.