Tokyo Paralympics: GB end Paralympics second in medal table with two bronzes | Olympics News
GB finished as runners-up in the overall table for the second successive Games with a total of 124 podium places: 41 gold, 38 silver and 45 bronze; men’s wheelchair basketball team won bronze by beating Spain; Krysten Coombs won bronze in badminton
Last Updated: 05/09/21 9:06am
An incredible podium for Great Britain’s wheelchair basketball team after conquering Spain
Great Britain won bronzes in basketball and badminton to bring down the curtain on a medal-laden campaign at the Tokyo Paralympics.
GB finished as runners-up in the overall table for the second successive Games following a total of 124 podium places: 41 gold, 38 silver and 45 bronze. China topped the table with 207 medals.
The men’s wheelchair basketball team clinched the country’s penultimate medal in Japan by defeating Spain 68-58 in their third-place play-off, helped by Gaz Choudhry who was once again GB’s top scorer with 19 points.
“We’ve had so many knock-backs all summer. This game just came down to heart,” Choudhry said.
“This bronze medal is for everyone else. We know where we were, but now we’ve won it, it definitely feels more than a bronze. But this team deserves a gold.”
Krysten Coombs had the final say with the shuttlecock as he celebrated his stunning piece of metal after finishing third.
Coombs bounced back from his semi-final loss to second seed Krishna Nagar by coming from a game down to beat Brazil’s Vitor Goncalves Tavares 12-21 21-10 21-16 in the SH6 bronze medal match.
With the action over for these magnificent Games in Japan, the closing ceremony will take place on Sunday with Boccia champion David Smith selected as ParalympicsGB’s flagbearer.
Earlier, six-time Paralympic gold medallist David Weir finished fifth in the men’s T54 marathon in a season’s best time of one hour, 29 minutes and 45 seconds.
Krysten Coombs was overcome with emotion after his bronze in the badminton at the Paralympics earlier on Sunday
Fellow Briton Johnboy Smith was 10th in 1:32:25, while compatriot Derek Rae crossed the line ninth in the T46 race in 2:47:04.
Switzerland’s Marcel Hug won the T54 event in a time of 1:24:02, 20 seconds ahead of Chinese athlete Zhang Yong, with American Daniel Romanchuk third.
Smith, gold medallist in the boccia, will lead the closing ceremony with the GB flag after retaining his BC1 individual title on Wednesday to secure his fifth Paralympic medal after beating Malaysia’s Chew Wei Lun 4-2 in the final.
In the process, the 32-year-old, who has cerebral palsy, surpassed his mentor and former team-mate Nigel Murray as Britain’s most successful player in the sport.
“It is an unbelievable honour to be leading out the ParalympicsGB team at the Paralympic Games closing ceremony,” said Smith.
“Not only am I representing the sport that I love, but the wider ParalympicsGB team too.
David Smith celebrating after successfully retaining his Paralympic bocca title
“I am proud to be the face of the athletes that are here, and also those who have already returned home. I have received so much support over these last 12 days, this honour is for every one of them – athletes, support staff and British fans alike.”
Smith, who sports a distinctive red and blue mohawk, won his first Paralympic title in the BC1-2 team event at Beijing 2008.
Four years later at London 2012, he claimed individual BC1 silver as well as BC1-2 team bronze, before securing his first individual title in Rio, and then successfully defending it in Japan.
GB chef de mission Penny Briscoe said: “Not only has David proved that once again he is a champion on the court, he is the most wonderful ambassador for the sport of boccia, for our entire team and for the Paralympic movement too.
“He truly represents the spirit of the Games.”
