By Tom Degun in New Delhi

October 7 - Mike Fennell and Mike Hooper (pictured) have pledged their commitment to disability sport at the Games after criticism from some Paralympic athletes that there are too few sports for them to compete in.

By Tom Degun in New Delhi

October 7 - Archer Danielle Brown - the first English Paralympian to compete at an able-bodied Commonwealth Games event earlier this week - continued to make history here today as she secured gold in the able-bodied women’s team compound event.

Brown and her compatriots, Nichola Simpson and world number one Nicky Hunt, put in a magnificent display, falling just one point short of the world record as they beat Canada by 232 to 229.

The trio, ranked number two at the competition behind Canada, had guaranteed themselves at least a silver after beating Malaysia in the semi-final 226 to 221.

Brown, who has reflex sympathetic dystrophy which causes chronic pain in her feet, got up from the stool she shoots from to embrace her team-mates after Hunt fired in a perfect 10 with her final arrow to assure England of the gold.

Brown, who also won gold at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, said: “It’s an amazing feeling I can’t put it into words.

"It was a phenomenal standard - we nearly broke the world record but we’ve still only just won the game, such was the strength of the Canadian team."

Asked about the significance of being the first Paralympian to win a medal for England in an able-bodied event at the Games, the 22-year-old said: "I’ve never really thought of it in those terms but there’s been quite a lot of media interest, which has opened my eyes to it.

"I really feel part of this team, everyone’s really welcomed me."

Brown also showed an uncharacteristic loss of composure when she joined her team-mates to collect their medals and prepared to sing Jerusalem.

"I stayed up all night learning the words," she said.  "I had it down to a tee, and when I got on the podium my brain just scrambled and I couldn’t remember a thing."

It was a very even match-up until the fifth round, but the England women started to pull away, increasing their lead by a point in each of the last three rounds with consistently accurate loosing.

Hunt said she had not realised they were so close to the Russians’ world record.

She said: "You don’t look at the scores during it, you just try and block them out.

"It’s a bit of a shock to find out we were so close."

Simpson, who fired two 10s with her first two arrows in the final, said it was a "great start" for England’s archers at the Games.

The men’s team will hope to hit the same form as they go in their compound semi-final this afternoon.

Contact the writer of this story [email protected]


Related stories
October 2010: Archer Brown makes history at Commonwealth Games in Delhi
September 2010: Brown happy to enjoy the experience in New Delhi
June 2010: England picks disabled archer for Commonwealth Games
February 2010: Brown hoping to graduate with honours on and off the field

By Duncan Mackay in London
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year

October 7 - The Olympic Park currently being built for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics will be named the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in honour of Britain's monarch, it was announced at a special ceremony here today.