Gold rush for Paralympians

Great Britain won nine golds in a spectacular day at the Paralympics to take their total to 16 and draw level at the top of the medal table with China.

The cyclists led the way once again with five triumphs at the Laoshan Velodrome in Beijing, while equestrian riders Lee Pearson and Anne Dunham each won two golds - their individual titles and the team crown - in Hong Kong.

Swimmer Sascha Kindred added a ninth victory at the National Aquatics Centre, while Britain also picked up six silvers and four bronze medals to take their total tally to 33, trailing only the hosts, who have 53 medals in all.

Seven out of 10 track cycling gold medals returned to British soil after last month's Olympics and the Union flag continues to fly high above the velodrome after victories in nine out of 10 Paralympic events.

Darren Kenny, Simon Richardson and Aileen McGlynn - with tandem pilot rider Ellen Hunter - each won their second track cycling titles of the Games.

Mark Bristow and Jody Cundy were also victorious leaving Rik Waddon and Sarah Storey the only riders to have missed out on gold, with the latter the only member of the team to have lost to someone other than a Briton.

Kenny, from Dorset, clocked his second world record of the Games, finishing in a time of one minute 08.668 seconds, while Manchester's Waddon won silver in 1min 11.161 secs.

Essex's Bristow, a relative of darts legend Eric Bristow, then won gold in the men's LC one-kilometre time-trial in a world record of 1:08.873.

"The track here is great, every British rider is doing personal bests - those personal bests just happen to be world records," said the 46-year-old, who was making his Paralympics debut.

"I've done the hard work and it's paid dividends."