David Stone competes. [Xinhua]

 

Britain and Spain both have two golds in the bag and share the lead in the Road Cycling medals table on Friday, September 12, at the end of the first morning's racing on a sun-scorched day at the Ming Tombs Reservoir circuit.

Britain will be disappointed not to have had a third. Against expectations, triple Track Cycling gold medalist Darren Kenny was pipped to the gold in the Men's Individual Time Trial (CP3) by Spain's Javier Ochoa who dashed Kenny's hopes of a fourth gold by nearly 12 seconds.

Ochoa is the first at the meeting to retain the title he won in Athens and underlines his domination of this event having taken gold at the 2007 World Championships in Bordeaux, France. Jin Yong-sik from the Republic of Korea with no road race form of note to talk of took a surprise bronze. Jin's only success before this competition came in the Men's Track Cycling Individual Pursuit (CP3) earlier this week in which he took silver.

Despite Britain's disappointment at Kenny's defeat, the team's other two hopes for gold, Rachel Morris in the Women's Individual Time Trial (HCA/HCB/HCC) and David Stone in the Mixed Time Trial (CP1/CP2), both clinched their respective titles taking Britain's overall 2008 Paralympic Cycling tally to 14 having taken 12 in the Track Cycling earlier this week.

Spain's other winner was outside chance Cesar Neira who failed to feature in the Men's Individual Time Trial (CP4) in either Athens or the 2007 World Championships. Neira's biggest success to date was in the 2007 World Championships Road Race in which he took silver.

Neira beat Athens' winner Chris Scott of Australia by just two seconds over the 24.8km circuit and fancied chance Ishii Masashi of Japan who took a gold and a silver on the track now has the full set with a bronze on the road. Surprisingly, neither Klaus Lungershausen (Germany) nor Jiri Bouska (Czech Republic) – first and second in Bordeaux - made a medal position.

In the Men's Handcycling events, the United States took gold and bronze in the Individual Time Trial (HCC) with Oz Sanchez, sixth at the World Championships, surprising everyone by winning by over 20 seconds. Another outside chance, Jose Vicente Arzo of Spain, took silver and Sanchez's Athens and Bordeaux silver medalist teammate Alejandro Albor came home with a disappointing third by a full 40 seconds.

In the Men's Individual Time Trial (HCB) event Heinze Frei of (Switzerland) turned the tables on Italy's Vittorio Podesta, beating him for the gold. They placed two and one respectively in Bordeaux. Rank outsider Edward Maalouf (Lebanon) with no form in any Paralympic Road Cycling to go on, came in third just six seconds behind the leader.

The gold and silver in the Men's Individual Time Trial (HCA) went to Bordeaux winner Wolfgang Schattauer of Austria and Athens second-placer Rastislav Turecek of Slovakia with Bordeaux silver medalist Alain Quittet (France) taking the Beijing bronze.

So far it's been a day for those most resistant to heat stroke.

(BOCOG September 12, 2008)