3 months ago
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Great Britain's Olivia Breen missed out on a Paralympic medal by the tightest of margins in the women's T38 long jump.
Breen's best jump was 4.99 metres, level with bronze medal winner Karen Palomeque Moreno of Colombia. But because Palomeque Moreno's second best jump of 4.89m was longer than Breen's 4.79m, the South American made it on to the podium.
There was better news for ParalympicsGB team-mate Anna Nicholson, who said she was "over the moon" to win bronze in the women's F35 shot put in abysmal weather conditions in Paris.
In a very wet morning session, Nathan Maguire progressed from the heats of the men's T54 800m to Thursday night's final, but team-mate Daniel Sidbury withdrew from the event because of illness., external
Melanie Woods qualified for the women's T54 400m final this evening, while Funmi Oduwaiye finished fifth in the women's F64 shot put final.
Breen, a three-time Paralympian, won long jump bronze in Tokyo three years ago and had looked set to match that after setting her best jump with her first attempt in Paris.
But when Palomeque Moreno matched her with her fifth effort of six, it left Breen just one chance to overhaul the Colombian and move back into third - and, stretching for the extra centimetre, she no-jumped and missed out.
"Obviously it's tough coming fourth, but I did everything I could," she said. "It's just a tough one to swallow.
"I realised after the fifth round, I went up to my coach and was like 'right, what can I do?' Obviously I ended up being just over [the mark on her final jump]. But there's nothing you can do but just hope for the best, it is what it is, the reality of long jump."
It is another disappointment in Paris for Breen, who also competed in the T38 100m.
The 28-year-old Welsh athlete just missed out on a place in the final after finishing fourth in her heat and ninth overall.
Heavy rain fell throughout Thursday morning in the French capital, with standing water present on the track in Stade de France.
But Nicholson made light of the conditions as she threw 9.44 metres - just 0.03m short of her personal best - to claim third place.
Mariia Pomazan of Ukraine and China's Wang Jun were well ahead of the field in first and second, throwing 12.75m and 11.94 m respectively.
Bronze represents the culmination of a strong three years for Nicholson, since she finished sixth in 2021 at the previous Paralympics in Tokyo.
The 29-year-old from Cumbria recently set a new PB at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Paris, adding 35cm to her previous best, and all but matched that mark when it counted in the Paralympic final.
"It's absolutely amazing. Honestly, the hard work over the last 10 years has been totally worth it," she said.
"This has been such a good year, personal bests galore, so we knew if I went out and did my best then we stood a chance of a medal."
Thursday evening in Paris will see GB go for several gold medals.
Sammi Kinghorn, who won gold in the T53 100m on Wednesday and two silvers earlier in the Games, aims for a fourth 2024 medal in the 400m.
Daniel Pembroke defends his men's F13 javelin title and 41-year-old Dan Greaves competes in his seventh Paralympics in the men's F64 discus, while Maguire and Woods go in their finals.
