Briton Kenny hits gold and world record double, again

Source: Xinhua | 09-09-2008 21:38

BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- British Darren Kenny set the track on fire as he took the gold medal of the men's one kilometer time trial in CP3 category and smashed a one-minute-old world record by about three seconds, repeating what he did in the CP3 individual pursuit race.

The result was never in doubt from the moment Kenny put the pedal down. After the first of the four lap race, he was already half a second up on the target time and just went faster and faster to flash across the line in one minute and 8.688 seconds, which made him the first CP3 rider ever under one minute and 10 seconds.

Just over one minute earlier Kenny had seen his teammate Rik Waddon take two seconds off the world record Kenny set at the 2007 World Championships in France. If he needed any incentive to burn the track down, this was it.

"I feel like flying on the track," said Kenny, "It's just fantastic. It's really nice. It is a little bit difficult race. And especially my teammate is also there in the same race. There are your main competitors. You want them to do well. Both my teammate and I will be on the podium. The new record is what we all expected to."

Waddon looked on open-mouthed as Kenny demolished his record which stood for just over a minute and had to settle for silver yet again behind Kenny, a carbon copy of the outcome of the Paralympic Cycling World Cup in Manchester earlier this year.

Japanese Masashi Ishii took the CP4 men's 1km time trial gold in a new world record to take Japan's first track cycling gold of the games, flashing across the line in one minute and 8.771 seconds, two seconds faster than Czech Jiri Bouska who took silver.

"I have been fighting for breaking the world record over years and I will keep on working," said Ishii, "I owe it to our Japanese team which is just like a family."

Mark Bristow of Britain took gold in the men's 1km time trial of LC1 class in a new world record of one minute and 8.873 seconds, leaving silver to host cyclist Zhang Kuidong who finished at one minute and 10.475 seconds.

"I performed well today. I rated my performance 95 out of a perfect 100," said Zhang. "This is what event I am good at. I didn't even break my personal best result. But getting a medal is the biggest dream of every Chinese athlete and I realized it."

Zhang's teammate Zheng Yuanchao won bronze in the men's 1km time trial of LC2 class. The gold went to Jody Cundy of Britain with one minute and 5.466 seconds, which refreshed the world record kept by Cundy himself.

Simon Richardson defeated Japanese Masaki Fujita to win the men's LC3 individual pursuit with an advantage of six seconds, proving himself to be unbeatable. Teammate Aileen Mcglynn with pilot Ellen Hunter won their second Beijing Paralympic gold, beating Australian pair Lindy Hou and Toireasa Gallagher.

Mcglynn's gold was Britain's fifth in Tuesday's cycling races, 10th in track cycling.

The men's LC4 individual pursuit gold went to Italian Paolo Vigano, who beat Germany Michael Teuber in final.

Editor:Du Xiaodan