Skip to main content
Part of complete coverage on

Medals won and records broken on first day of Paralympic Games

By Laura Smith-Spark, CNN
August 30, 2012 -- Updated 1855 GMT (0255 HKT)
Tito Sena of Brazil celebrates winning the men's T46 marathon on Sunday, September 9, the final day of the London 2012 Paralympics. Tito Sena of Brazil celebrates winning the men's T46 marathon on Sunday, September 9, the final day of the London 2012 Paralympics.
HIDE CAPTION
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
paralympics 0909-4
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
paralympics fri 07
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
Paralympics 2012: The best photos
<<
<
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
>
>>
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • On the opening day, 32 gold medals are up for grabs across five different sports
  • China's Cuiping Zhang takes the first gold of the Games in women's air rifle shooting
  • Sarah Storey wins the first gold for the host nation in the velodrome

London (CNN) -- China claimed the first gold medal of the 2012 Paralympics, as the Games got under way in London on Thursday in front of big crowds.

The first gold went to Cuiping Zhang in a women's air rifle shooting event. Another quickly followed for China in the men's C1-2-3 1-kilometer cycling time trial, as Li Zhang Yu swooped around the velodrome in record-breaking time.

There are 503 gold medals to be won in the course of the 11-day competition, for which more than 4,000 athletes have descended on London from more than 160 countries.

On Thursday alone, 32 gold medals are up for grabs across five different sports.

Back in the velodrome, Susan Powell took Australia's first gold in the women's individual C4 pursuit, while Kieran Modra took its second in the men's individual B pursuit.

Sponsorships for paralympics on the rise
Wounded warriors in Paralympics
7/7 survivor's Paralympics mission
A sneak peek inside the Paralympic Park

And the home crowds cheered on British cyclist Sarah Storey as she won the first gold of the Games for the host nation. The win in the women's individual C5 pursuit cycling brought her total Paralympic medal haul to eight.

Storey, who was born without a left hand but is also a champion swimmer, narrowly missed out on being selected for the women's team pursuit at the London 2012 Olympics.

Over at the Aquatic Centre, American Jessica Long won the women's 100-meter butterfly S8 with a personal best time to give Team USA its first gold of the Games.

But Team USA suffered a blow when authorities confirmed that one of its big medal hopes, swimmer Mallory Weggemann, was being reclassified from S7 to S8.

The classification system, designed to make sure athletes in each sport compete against similarly abled rivals, is central to how the Games work.

Weggeman, who was paralyzed from the waist down as a college freshman by an injection to treat back pain, must now compete in fewer races and against stiffer competition. She currently holds 15 world records and more than 30 American records, according to her blog.

Paralympic records were broken on the archery range Thursday, as well as in the velodrome and the pool.

The first day of competition followed an opening ceremony Wednesday night that was watched by millions of people around the world and was warmly received by the British media.

Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the Games but did not repeat the apparent feat of rappelling down from a helicopter that delighted those who watched the Olympics opening ceremony.

She was accompanied to the event by Prince William and his wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, but not Prince Harry, who was recently caught up in a scandal involving pictures taken of him naked in Las Vegas.

Sebastian Coe, chairman of the organizing committee, said: "The enthusiasm for these Paralympics is extraordinary. The crowds will be unprecedented. These will be Games to remember.

"Prepare to be inspired. Prepare to be dazzled. Prepare to be moved by the Paralympic Games of London 2012."

More than 2.3 million tickets have been sold for the Paralympics in London, more than for any of the previous 13 Paralympic Games.

ADVERTISEMENT
Part of complete coverage on
Follow CNN's live blogging coverage of the London Paralympics from August 29 to September 9. Join the conversation on Twitter #cnnparalympics.
September 9, 2012 -- Updated 1625 GMT (0025 HKT)
The London 2012 Paralympics will showcase some of the most inspiring stories in sport from August 29 to September 9 -- see the best images here.
September 10, 2012 -- Updated 1142 GMT (1942 HKT)
The Paralympics gave us stories of courage and athleticism. But why did the USA largely ignore the event and its competitors perform relatively poorly?
August 31, 2012 -- Updated 1830 GMT (0230 HKT)
Every Paralympic athlete has an incredible story to tell, but for some the final, bureaucratic hurdle can prove a step too far.
August 31, 2012 -- Updated 1220 GMT (2020 HKT)
The small group of young men walk confidently into the gymnasium in the Rwandan capital of Kigali, sit down and casually unfasten their legs.
August 29, 2012 -- Updated 2347 GMT (0747 HKT)
The London 2012 Paralympics began with a celebration of "The Enlightenment" era of human achievement, and featured Stephen Hawking.
August 30, 2012 -- Updated 1153 GMT (1953 HKT)
For table tennis players Pam Fontaine and Tara Profitt, competing at the London 2012 Paralympics marks the climax of a remarkable journey.
August 29, 2012 -- Updated 1414 GMT (2214 HKT)
In 1948, a hospital outside London witnessed the birth of the Paralympics, as a doctor who had fled Germany sought to change the lives of patients.
August 29, 2012 -- Updated 2011 GMT (0411 HKT)
Elliot Mujaji
"Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius is the most high-profile of Africa's medal hopefuls -- but there are many others also deserving the world's attention.
August 29, 2012 -- Updated 1356 GMT (2156 HKT)
Volleyball player Martine Wright will compete at the Paralympics seven years after losing both her legs in a terrorist attack in London.
August 28, 2012 -- Updated 1558 GMT (2358 HKT)
CNN's Erin McLaughlin tours the Paralympic Park in London to see what's changed following the Olympic Games.
April 25, 2012 -- Updated 2217 GMT (0617 HKT)
CNN's Becky Anderson talks to British Paralympian Shelly Woods about the London Games and her expectations of success.
August 24, 2012 -- Updated 1817 GMT (0217 HKT)
CNN's Erin McLaughlin has the latest on the start of the Paralympic torch relay at Trafalger Square in London.
August 24, 2012 -- Updated 0941 GMT (1741 HKT)
Olympic Rings marking the London 2012 Olympic Games are painted on the entrance to the Channel Tunnel as a Eurostar high-speed train travels through, before arriving at the Eurotunnel terminal in Coquelles, near Calais, northern France, on march 29, 2012.
High-speed rail operator Euro star is priming its services for the continent's elite disabled athletes ahead of the London 2012 Paralympics.
March 8, 2012 -- Updated 1447 GMT (2247 HKT)
A bobsled guided by mind power, guns fired by blowing into a headset, desert waves created by nanobots -- the world of disabled athletes could soon be very different.
August 28, 2012 -- Updated 1634 GMT (0034 HKT)
Two members of Jordan's Paralympics team and a trainer, all accused of sexual assault, have been expelled from the London 2012 Games.
April 27, 2012 -- Updated 0334 GMT (1134 HKT)
Afghan amputee Malek Mohammad, 18. He lost both his legs in a landmine explosion in Kabul bit now has his sights set on competing in the London Paralympics.
Inside a sparkling new pool house off a dusty, bustling street in Afghanistan's capital, sits a young man with a dream.
August 23, 2012 -- Updated 1440 GMT (2240 HKT)
Paralympian Paul left his Wall Street job to take over Sail to Prevail - a non-profit organization which teaches disabled children to sail. From eight children a year, the charity, based in Newport, Rhode Island, now helps around 1,000 youngsters annually.
Not many people would see quadriplegia as a gift. But then, not many people are Paul Callahan.
August 5, 2012 -- Updated 0815 GMT (1615 HKT)
Oscar Pistorius, a South African double-amputee nicknamed the "Blade Runner," made an unprecedented Olympic debut.
May 9, 2012 -- Updated 1440 GMT (2240 HKT)
Garett Hickling's personal motto is, "No fear -- give 110%" -- and he certainly lives up to it.
February 14, 2013 -- Updated 0941 GMT (1741 HKT)
South Africa's "Blade Runner" Oscar Pistorius talks to CNN about his life and plans for the London 2012 Olympics.
ADVERTISEMENT