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Kadeena Cox’s eight-year reign as Paralympic C4-5 time trial champion ended in concerning fashion after she crashed in the final at Paris 2024.
British cyclist Cox, who was second fastest in qualifying behind Caroline Groot, fell on the first corner of her medal race after wobbling following a slow start.
Appearing distraught, the 33-year-old, who has multiple sclerosis, hobbled as she was helped from the track by members of the ParalympicsGB team.
Leeds-born Cox was denied a restart as the fall was deemed not to be down to a mechanical fault.
She continued to receive treatment on the floor of the track centre long after the event had finished.
The world record holder had looked odds-on to become GB’s first medallist of the Games following her triumphs at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
Dutch rider Groot subsequently took the title, ahead of French home favourite Marie Patouillet, with Canadian Kate O’Brien third.
Cox is scheduled to race again on Sunday when she defends the C1-5 mixed team spring title alongside Jody Cundy and Jaco van Gass.
Daphne Schrager later secured Britain’s maiden podium place in France by clinching silver in the women’s C1-3 3000m individual pursuit.
If you'd asked me a year ago, I would have bitten your arm off to have one— Daphne Schrager
The 22-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, joined the British cycling programme in 2019, having never previously ridden.
She set a C2 world record of 3:45.133 in qualifying before clocking 3:51.129 in the final, just under 10 seconds slower than Chinese gold medallist Xiaomei Wang.
“If you’d asked me a year ago, I would have bitten your arm off to have one,” Schrager said of the medal.
“I started from scratch, I did some testing, I was like Bambi on ice and then we’ve gradually got less Bambi on ice and now we’re here.”
Schrager also sympathised with the unfortunate Cox.
“Things happen, different conditions, sometimes it’s just not your day, which is sport,” she said.
“I’m just gutted for her because she was the one who got me into it first of all and I hope the whole team can pick her back up and she’ll come and prove what she’s worth when she does team sprint.
“She’s a great human so she’ll be back.”
Asked if Cox should have been allowed a restart, Schrager replied: “It’s not for me to say – I don’t know enough about cycling and the rules.
“Sometimes I do feel like maybe we should be given a second chance, especially with conditions and stuff, your feet can come out.”
Visually-impaired rider Stephen Bate and his pilot Christopher Latham added another silver for Britain at the velodrome on Thursday.
In the B 4000m individual pursuit final, the pair were just over two seconds slower than Dutch duo Tristan Bangma and Patrick Bos, who won with a new world record of 3:55.396.
