Ukraine’s Paralympic team finishes Rio Games with 117 medals

Six-time Paralympic champion Weir, who won four gold medals from four events, including the marathon, at London 2012, was third at the first time check in the T54 event, which Switzerland’s Marcel Hug won ahead of Kurt Fearnley of Australia.

Only the tally of 107 golds from the NY andStoke Mandeville Games of 1984 seems beyond this team.

Besides the time trial, where Great Britain has two spots, if selected she would also take part in the road race, with Lizzie Armitstead looking to defend the title she won in Richmond, Virginia a year ago.

“Once every four years you have a chance to feel that absolute elation and when you’re on that high it’s easy to make slightly irrational decisions”, she said.

Having previously won gold in the track time trial and bronze in the time trial on the road, the pair came into this road race full of confidence.

She added: “It’s such a relief, and it’s only when you get that point after your race that you realise just how much pressure you were under”.

Established names delivered again – from cyclist Dame Sarah Storey to swimmer Ellie Simmonds – and new stars emerged too, such as 16-year old Scottish sprinter Maria Lyle, who returns with two silver medals and a bronze.

Storey, 38, said: “People have talked about the fact the Russians aren’t here, but we’ve been making world-record performances”.

“I felt alright, I just needed a little breather at the back but someone clipped my wheel”, the 37-year-old said.

Nigeria had on Friday won one gold and one silver medals in power-lifting.

There were two sailing bronze medals – for Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell in the two-person keelboat and for Helena Lucas in the one-person keelboat. These may just see Nigeria finish as the top African team at the 2016 Paralympics.

The start of the tandem road races was delayed following a serious accident in the men’s C4-5 race earlier.

The penultimate day of competition at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games saw plenty of medals awarded.

Libby Clegg won two golds in athletics while Jo Butterfield took gold in the club throw, Karen Darke won cycling gold and Gordon Reid won gold and silver in wheelchair tennis. And I was lucky that my last race was a few days before the Games ended so I could go out in the Park and take it all in.

Ireland’s medal haul rose to 11 as Katie-George Dunlevy and pilot Eve McCrystal claimed silver in the women’s tandem event. The javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia won the gold in F46 event by beating his own record.

And Noelle Lenihan claimed a bronze medal in the F38 discus.