The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Another bronze medal for our brilliant basketball star
Peterborough’s brilliant wheelchair basketball star Lee Manning had to settle for a second paralympic bronze medal in Tokyo.
Incredibly this was the sixth straight Games in which Great Britain had played in the bronze medal match and a 6858 success over Spain meant they’d emerged victorious on four occasions.
Manning also played in the bronze medal winning team in Rio in 2016, but there was a tinge of disappointment this year as GB went into the tournament as the reigning World and European champions and favourites to complete a clean sweep by picking up Paralympic gold.
The hosts Japan ended that dream with a 79-68 semi-final victory. The United States went on to win gold with a 6460 final win over Japan.
Manning scored 16 points in the semi-final defeat and 11 points in the bronze medal match to confirm his status as one of the team’s leading lights.
There was disappointment for Stilton shooter Matt Skelhon and Peterborough Nene Valley shot put ace Lydia Church.
Skelhon, a multiple Paralympic medallist, added a 13th place finish in the mixed 50m air rifle event to his 16th place in the 10m mixed pistol event.
Skelhon said: “It was a really tough week. In the first match I couldn’t really work out what went wrong. My training dipped at the last minute and I carried that form into the event which was hard to take. In the second event I just couldn’t handle the pressure. I really lost it.
“It’s 90% mental, but I am sure now we will have a proper competition schedule I will be able build my confidence back up before the World Championships next year.”
Church threw a best of 11.41 inhersecondattempttofinish more than two metres outside the medals.
Local athletes James Fox (rowing) and Lauren Steadman (triathlon) won gold medals earlier in the Games.