IT WAS a magic moment for Dorchester athlete Paul Blake as he surged home to claim his first Paralympic gold medal in Rio and deliver Britain’s 50th gold of the Games.
The T36 star kicked off his campaign in Brazil by landing the 400 metre crown during the morning session at the Olympic Stadium (Engenhão).
Blake, who finished second in the event back in London 2012, was handed a tricky draw in lane eight for the final.
While he was under some pressure going into the final bend from Krzysztof Ciuksza, the Polish athlete faded and 26-year-old Blake pulled away from the rest of the field to cruise home in a season’s best time of 54.49 seconds.
He was more than a second ahead of his main rival, Roman Pavlyk, who finished second in a time of 55.67.
Third spot went to New Zealand athlete William Stedman (55.69).
The victory came as a sweet success for Blake, who has the chance to add to his medal tally when he competes in the T36 800m tomorrow.
Blake, whose family were in the stadium to see his crowning moment, told Channel Four: “I’m lost for words.
“In 2012 I was fortunate enough to get a silver and a bronze and I’ve finally done it (claimed gold).
“All the hard work this year has paid off.”
On securing the 50th gold for Paralympics GB, Blake said: “It’s incredible what everybody else has done and for me to help out in that way is great.”
He added: “I just take it one race at a time, hopefully I will rest up as quickly as possible, eat and drink as much as I can and see what happens in the 800m.”
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