Australian Rheed McCracken has overcome a rib injury to snare a silver medal for the third Paralympics in a row in the men’s T34 wheelchair 100m.
Favourite and world record holder Walid Ktila had denied McCracken in the past two Paralympics.
And it was a familiar story on Monday morning in Tokyo, with Tunisian Ktila producing a stunning start on the way to his third consecutive Paralympic gold medal in the event.
Ktila finished first in a Paralympics record time of 15.01 seconds, with McCracken second in 15.37.
Mohamed Alhammadi, from the United Arab Emirates, claimed bronze in 15.66.
After the race, McCracken revealed he had suffered a pop ribbed about five days ago.
He fought through the pain to put in a brave effort in the final.
Ktila was clearly the fastest off the line, setting up a big early lead.
McCracken made a move shortly after but he wasn’t able to close the gap that Ktila had created.
McCracken, who has cerebral palsy, was just 15 when he won silver in the 100m event at the 2012 Paralympics in London.
The 24-year-old followed it up with another silver at Rio 2016.
Although Ktila was the favourite for Monday’s race, McCracken had beaten him previously and held out hope of finally cracking through for gold.
AAP
Read more:
