GB's Atkinson suffers dramatic fall in cycling final

Archie Atkinson suffered a melodramatic autumn successful nan last stages of nan men's C4 4,000m individual pursuit last arsenic he missed retired connected Paralympic gold.

The 20-year-old - nan youngest personnel of GB's cycling squad - appeared connected people to adhd Paralympic golden to his world title title connected his Games debut arsenic he led Slovakia's Jozef Metelka by a important margin.

However, Atkinson was visibly tiring successful nan last 1,000m, and came disconnected his motorcycle connected nan area arsenic he mislaid balance.

Atkinson was struck connected nan backmost of nan caput by nan motorcycle arsenic he came off, and had to beryllium helped disconnected nan way successful beforehand of a stunned crowd successful nan Paris velodrome.

Earlier, nan rider from Cheshire had produced an perfectly stand-out thrust successful qualifying arsenic he smashed nan world grounds by registering a clip of 4:17.700, 5 seconds quicker than nan erstwhile best.

He had beaten Metelka successful nan qualifier, but it was nan Slovakian who took nan golden arsenic he stayed successful contention and rode astir nan prone Atkinson successful nan last metres.

Atkinson was awarded metallic for reaching nan final, contempt not finishing nan race.

Gatien le Rousseau won bronze for France, beating compatriot Kevin le Cunff.

There was besides disappointment for Jaco van Gass, who grounded to triumph a badge successful nan men's C1-3 1,000m clip proceedings - contempt mounting 2 caller world records.

Van Gass collapsed nan C3 grounds successful nan last arsenic he rode successful 1:04.825 - surpassing nan benchmark he group successful nan greeting session.

But owed to nan categories competed astatine nan Paralympics, van Gass was besides up against C1 and C2 riders - pinch 3 of them riding faster successful nan final.

Li Zhangyu led a Chinese one-two pinch Liang Weicong successful second, while France's Alexandre Leaute picked up bronze - his 2nd badge of these location Games.

Van Gass called connected nan sport's world governing body, nan UCI, to reappraisal Paralympic categorisation arsenic he expressed his disappointment connected missing retired connected a medal.

"It's heartbreaking to beryllium very honest," he told Channel 4. "It's conscionable nan factoring system, it shows that they don't rather person it right.

"To thrust a world grounds and not beryllium correct successful nan medals, it shows that nan factoring strategy needs a spot of work, possibly a outcry retired to nan UCI to look into that."

Van Gass, however, still has nan mixed squad relay connected Sunday and nan roadworthy title events to travel adjacent week.

"I request a bully recovery," he said. "I didn't really slumber a batch past night, I was excessively excited. I request a bully night's sleep, possibly a massage and we'll spell again pinch nan 2 others."

The 36-year-old British service seasoned won nan men's C3 3,000m individual pursuit last connected Friday - conscionable 1 week aft his Games were successful uncertainty erstwhile he was deed by a car during training.

Earlier, GB's erstwhile C1 world champion Fran Brown grounded to make it done qualifying for nan women's C1-3 500m clip trial.

Brown, connected her Paralympic debut, could only decorativeness eighth fastest pinch nan apical six progressing to nan badge races.

It was besides bad news for Blaine Hunt, who was incapable to travel up his C4-5 clip proceedings metallic from Friday.

Hunt, 35, grounded to scope nan badge races successful nan C5 4,000m pursuit aft coming seventh successful qualifying.