By David Williams
Welsh athletes celebrated an incredible four gold medals on Sunday – one third of an historic 12 golds won by Great Britain at the Paralympic Games in Paris.
Shot put thrower Sabrina Fortune, swimmer Rhys Darbey, rower Ben Pritchard and cyclist James Ball all topped the podium as ParalympicsGB celebrated a dozen golds across all sports on a super Sunday – the most in a single day this century.
GB’s previous record for golds won on a single day in recent history was nine, reached at both Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016.
Fortune was arguably the pick of the Welsh winners as improved her own world record in the F20 event for athletes with intellectual impairments with a first-round effort of 15.12m.
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The athlete from Mold was a bronze medallist in Rio but fifth in Tokyo and admitted:
“I still cannot believe it, especially on the first throw.
“I was expecting about 14m, just a simple throw. Then I hit the world record.
“I just wanted to jump up and down and celebrate right then, but then I remembered I had five more throws after that.
“I knew there was a big chance, but that doesn’t mean you are going to get it. In training it has been going so much further, around 15-and-a-half and much further than that.
“I was expecting a high-14 right at the end to finish it off and be happy with that, but my coach said he wanted 15, and I hit 15 so he’ll be happy.”
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On also representing Wales as well as Great Britain:
“It means everything to be able to get it for north Wales, for Wales. And Great Britain.
“I have been going for this since Rio (2016 Paralympic Games). Ever since I was a little girl I didn’t expect, with my learning disability, to be able to do an event like this.
“To be able to go out on the world stage, it’s the craziest experience. It’s something I’m so proud to have been able to do.”
On feeling emotional:
“I don’t even know where my family were, but my mum, dad, my nan, my aunty and her boyfriend and friends are here (at Stade de France).
“I’ve got about 13 people here from north Wales. It was a big crowd.
“I’d love to dedicate this gold to my parents. They have pushed me with my learning disability and to grow as an athlete and as a person.
“I didn’t actually speak until I was five or six. I had to get therapy. So it’s crazy to be able to speak to you guys.
On the atmosphere in the stadium:
“It was magical. It’s like you’re walking into a world that’s crazy. There’s a roar around you. It was deafening.
“After watching it on TV the last few days, I’ve been so scared of going out there, but it was so amazing. It’s something I won’t ever forget.
“To do that clap at the end and getting everyone to join in, it was amazing.”
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On fearing she would not win gold after taking bronze at Rio 2016 but missing out on a medal at Tokyo 2020:
“I injured myself before Tokyo and I was scared, as when you fall down sometimes it’s much harder to get back up.
“I was really worried after Tokyo, then I accepted the fact that you don’t always stay down. You will stand up and sometimes you stand up much better.
“I just hoped I would. After this year of world record after world record after world record, I was thinking anything can happen.”
Matt Bush wins @paralympicsGB ‘s second Taekwondo gold of the evening with a dominant performance
#C4Paralympics | #ParalympicGames | #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/uNFNYJ76Tf— C4 Paralympics (@C4Paralympics) August 31, 2024
On Saturday, Welsh world champion Matt Bush proved that third time can be lucky when he claimed gold in the men’s K44 +80kg taekwondo competition at Grand Palais.
Bush made his Paralympic debut at Paris 2024 after missing the previous two Games because of injury.
“The stuff that I’ve learned from missing two Games … it’s been invaluable,” Bush said after beating Aliaskhab Ramazanov of the Neutral Paralympic Athletes squad in the gold medal match.
“The good things improve you, but the bad things do as well. There’s been moments where I’ve doubted (myself), but I’m here with the gold now. It’s very special.”
Matt Bush completed a quickfire golden double for @ParalympicsGB’s taekwondo stars last night
He hopes his success inspires kids to give sport a go#TNLAthletes | @GBTaekwondo pic.twitter.com/nLNZ4qFifR
— National Lottery Good Causes (@LottoGoodCauses) September 1, 2024
Bush, a 2023 and 2019 world taekwondo champion missed Tokyo 2020 after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) two weeks before the Games.
Prior to that, he had the chance of making his Paralympic debut in para athletics before a shoulder injury prevented him from competing at Rio 2016.