Matt Skelton is Britain's golden shot
SHOOTER Matt Skelhon won Great Britain’s 22nd gold medal of the Paralympic Games in Beijing today.
The 23-year-old from Peterborough won the mixed R3 10 metres air rifle prone with a score of 704.9, 0.5 ahead of China’s medallist Zhang Cuiping.
Britain remain in hot pursuit of medal table leaders China, who won four gold medals early on day five to take their total to 28.
Multiple world champion wheelchair racer David Weir bounced back from defeat in his opening event at the Bird’s Nest Stadium to progress from the heats of the men’s T54 800 metres.
The 29-year-old from Wallington, Surrey, went below his own world record in the men’s T54 400m last night by was beaten into silver by China’s Zhang Lixin, who clocked 45.07 seconds.
It was the British athletics team’s fourth silver of the Games, with the gold remaining elusive.
Team-mate Brian Alldis failed to progress, finishing seventh in the same heat.
Three-time Paralympian Weir will return to the track for tonight’s 5,000m final where he hopes to win his first gold.
At the National Aquatics Center, David Roberts was the fastest qualifier for the men’s S7 400m final.
The 28-year-old from Pontypridd, who has cerebral palsy, clocked 5:04.31 as he bids for his third medal of the Games and his 10th Paralympic gold.
Louise Watkin and Claire Cashmore from Redditch were second and fourth fastest behind South African Olympian Natalie Du Toit in qualification for the women’s SM9 200m IM final.
