Dame Sarah Storey has won ParalympicsGB’s first gold medal of the Games after winning the C5 3000m individual pursuit title.
The 43-year-old won a 15th gold medal at the Izu Velodrome in dominant fashion, retaining the title she won in Rio five years ago.
The Great Britain rider earlier broke the world record in qualifying to reach the final alongside fellow Briton Crystal Lane-Wright.
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WOW
It’s Paralympic GOLD number 15 for @DameSarahStorey 🥇
The first medal of Tokyo 2020 for ParalympicsGB! #ImpossibleToIgnore #Paralympics pic.twitter.com/pE7VZvGbAq
Storey, who already lays claim to being the country’s most successful female Paralympian, produced a strong display to catch compatriot Lane-Wright 1750m into her ride and win the event for a fourth successive Games.
She remains on track to become Great Britain’s most decorated Paralympian of all time – a feat she will achieve if she wins gold in her remaining two events.
The C5 time trial and C4-5 road race are titles currently held by Storey, who is seeking to surpass swimmer Mike Kenny’s all-time medal record.
And silver for Crystal Lane-Wright!
A ParalympicsGB 1-2 on the first day here in Tokyo!!#ImpossibleToIgnore pic.twitter.com/yfqZYzpdq0
Lane-Wright made sure ParalympicsGB were able to celebrate a British one-two finish by claiming silver for the second straight Games, in a repeat of the result from the last Paralympics in 2016.
Earlier, the 35-year-old had set a new personal best in qualifying, but she was unable to stop Storey from claiming victory inside eight laps.
In the bronze medal race, France’s Marie Patouillet beat New Zealand’s Nicole Murray.
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