**Archie Atkinson Shatters World Record but Faces Heartbreak in Men’s C4 4,000m Pursuit**
Archie Atkinson, Great Britain's rising star in Para-cycling, experienced a heartbreaking end to his race on day three of the Paris 2024 Paralympics
. The 20-year-old shattered the world record by five seconds in
the heats of the men's C4 4,000m individual pursuit. However, just two laps away from clinching the gold medal, Atkinson suffered a shocking fall.
Atkinson was on the verge of dethroning two-time defending champion Jozef Metelka of Slovakia when disaster struck. Metelka capitalized on the situation to secure his third consecutive title, while Atkinson, despite his fall, was awarded the silver medal.
Even with the disappointment in the velodrome, Team GB's prospects for the day remained bright, as eight Para-swimmers advanced to the finals scheduled for the evening.
Two-time world champion Stephen Clegg could potentially lead a gold rush in the pool when he competes in the men’s S12 100m backstroke final at 16:30 BST. He will be followed by William Ellard, Poppy Maskill, Louise Fiddes, Olivia Newman-Baronius, Alice Tai, Iona Winnifrith, and Scarlett Humphrey.
**Victory Hopes Dashed in the Velodrome**
Spectators at the velodrome were stunned as Atkinson crashed during the final of the C4 4,000m individual pursuit. On the brink of overtaking Metelka, Atkinson spun off the track, ending his gold medal bid.
**Other Highlights**
- In track events, Switzerland's Catherine DeBrunner set a Games record to win gold in the women’s T54 5,000m, clocking in at 10:43.62. American Susannah Scaroni claimed silver, while Australia's Madison de Rozario took bronze.
- GB's Luke Nuttall delivered a season's best performance in the men’s T46 1500m final, finishing seventh in 3:57.62.
- In Para-badminton, Dan Bethell defeated Ukraine's Oleksandr Chyrkov 2-0 in the men's singles SL3 group B stage at La Chapelle Arena.
- Para-rowers Samuel Murray and Annabel Caddick secured a victory in their PR3 mixed double sculls repechage, edging out Ukraine, India, and Mexico.
- Para-archer Victoria Kingstone set a personal best with a score of 608, finishing sixth in the women’s individual W1 ranking round at the Invalides arena.
- GB’s women wheelchair basketball team lost to Canada 63-54 in the preliminary round of group A at Bercy Arena.
- In boccia, Stephen McGuire fell 4-2 to Iulian Ciobanu of Canada in the men's individual BC4 preliminary round pool C match.
- Para-taekwondo world champion Amy Truesdale defeated Morocco's Rajae Akermach 30-9 in the women’s K44-65kg quarter-final at the Grand Palais.
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