Paralympics 2024: Kadeena Cox heartache as Steve Bate provides Paris silver lining

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.

Cox said: “[I'm feeling] not great if I am honest. But, that's sport.

“I went down on my knee which is sore. My MS [multiple sclerosis] – my tone was bad and that doesn't help when you try to ride a bicycle.

“It was a weird one. I didn't feel comfortable in the gate, my right side is my weak side – I just over compensated and couldn't balance on my weaker side, I was all over the shop. I thought I might have got a restart.”

Daphne Schrager later secured Britain’s maiden podium place in France by clinching silver in the women’s C1-3 3000m individual pursuit.

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.

There was a first Yorkshire medal at the Games as visually-impaired rider Stephen Bate, from Hebden Bridge, and his pilot Christopher Latham added another silver for Britain at the velodrome.

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.

Bate said: “We have had a great day and our target coming here was to try to put the Dutch under pressure. We have beaten them once on this track and that's because they crashed. They have proven today how good they are. We have put nine months preperation in just for this race, we have raced a PB and we are proud.

“More disappointed for the staff, there's an incredible core group working with us and disappointed we couldn't deliver that gold medal.”

In the pool, Poppy Maskill delivered GB's first gold medal. She clocked one minute 03.00 seconds – a new world record – to claim the the women’s 100m butterfly S14 title.

William Ellard won men’s 100m butterfly S14 silver behind Denmark's Alexander Hillhouse.