0921: The action has already started with goalball, equestrian, shooting and table tennis under way. There are a total of 32, yes 32, gold medals up for grabs today. Who are you backing for Paralympic glory?
0928: Make sure you’re logged into this blog in around three hours time when the first gold medal of the Games will be won. It will be in shooting, in the women’s R2 10m Air Rifle Standing-SH1. Prepare for an afternoon gold rush.
0936: It is indeed, the first heat of the men's 100m Backstroke S6 has been won by Ukrainian double arm amputee Iaroslav Semenenko, who uses incredible leg strength to propel himself through the water.
0942: I’m sure you will have noticed the various letters and numbers which are included in the names of each discipline. This is the classification system used throughout the Paralympic Games aimed at making sure competition is fair. Throughout the Games, we will attempt to make those systems clear to you so you can enjoy the action.
0946: The Paralympics consist of three main classifications depending on whether athletes have a visual, physical or intellectual impairment. The numbers denotes the level of impairment, with lower numbers more severe.
0953: The classification will also include a letter, which denotes the sport, for example S for swimming or C for cycling.
1000: Weggemann is a 23-year-old swimmer going for an incredible five gold medals at London 2012. She was due to compete in seven events, but she was reclassified on the eve of the Games and it has been decided she should compete against more able-bodied athletes. Weggemann made her Paralympic debut in 2008 after a routine epidural for back pain robbed her of the use of her legs.
1024: A moment of history, the first world record of the Games has gone and it was smashed by China’s Sini Zeng. She has set a new standard in the women’ s C3 cycling pursuit. Something tells me a few world records might fall today…
1030: A real blow to the hosts. It was hoped Coates would give Team GB their first gold medal in the women's R2-10m Air Rifle Standing-SH1, but she has failed to make the final. No need to panic, though. The Olympics started slowly for Britain, but they eventually enjoyed their finest Games in over a century. An omen?
1046: Cycling also begins today at the velodrome, which holds so many memories for British fans after a golden Olympic Games. There are 18 golds to fight for; 10 for the men, seven for the women and one mixed.
1054: Let me tell you the about Sarah Storey, a British Paralympian with an eye-wateringly impressive resume. Born without her left hand, Storey has never had a problem competing with able-bodied athletes. She is an 18-time Paralympic medalist, seven of which are gold, across both swimming and cycling. She has set 71 world records in her career and came close to make the Team GB Olympic Team Pursuit squad. Simply put, Storey is close to unstoppable.
1056: The Aquatics Centre goes berserk, British swimmer Jonathan Fox romps to a new world record in the heats of the men’s 100m backstroke S7. He thumps the water in delight, a favorite for gold in tonight’s final?
1108: I have to amend a stat in my entry of 1054. I said Sarah Storey had set 71 world records, that is no longer true. It is now 72. Storey has just breezed into the women’s Individual Pursuit C5 final in an unprecedented time of 3:32:17. Her opponent in tonight’s final will be Poland’s Anna Harkowska, who must be thinking about not even turning up.
1127: A little more on the irrepressible Sarah Storey. Her world record time in the women's Individual Pursuit C5 would have earned her a silver medal in the able-bodied World Championships earlier this year. An truly unbelievable athlete.
1133: Goalball is a sport for blind and visually-impaired athletes initially devised as a way of rehabilitating World War II veterans. The gold medal favorites in the men’s competition are Lithuania, who have destroyed hosts Team GB 11-1 in their opening match.
1137: World records are taking an absolute battering this morning. Take a bow Sophie Pascoe of New Zealand, who has just taken half a second off her own SM10 200m Individual Medley leading mark. She eased up in the closing stages, she can go faster in tonight’s final.
1158: One athlete to keep an eye on is South Africa’ Natalie du Toit, a 10-time Paralympic gold medalist. The swimmer breezed into the women’s 100m Butterfly S9 final, finishing over three seconds ahead of Britain’s Claire Cashmore in second place. She is bidding for seven gold medals in London, who would bet against her?
1205: Staying on Du Toit, she became the first Paralympian to qualify for the Olympics when she participated in the 10k marathon swim in Beijing. A true Paralympic icon.
1215: A great idea! After all, we’re only around 20 minutes away from the first gold medal of the Games over at the Royal Artillery Barracks. The women's R2-10m Air Rifle Standing-SH1 final has begun…
