1356: Wheelchair basketball has also got in motion today. Team GB’s hopes will be high, but the hosts currently trail the Netherlands 22-16 in the third quarter of their women’s encounter.
1400: The first final in the Velodrome is about to get started. A total of 28 competitors will contest the men’s C1-3 Time Trial final. The excitement is building as the noise increases, Argentina’s Rodrigo Fernando Lopez is the gold medal favorite.
1405: This final will include C1, 2 and 3 athletes. The times of the more impaired athletes will be adjusted to make them comparable to more able cyclists. So although some finalists have more severe impairments and will post what look like slow times, they could still win medals when their times are recalculated.
1409: The cyclist on track currently is Victor Hugo Garrido Marquez. As a C2 athlete, his final time will be 92% of the time which appears on the clock. So his time of 1:24.650 became 1:18.089.
1423: This morning we saw a host of preliminary matches across a variety of wheelchair table tennis classes. The ferocity with which some players strike the ball highly is impressive.
1436: American Joseph Berenyi currently leads the men’s C1-2-3 time trial final. As a C3 athlete, the least impaired classification in this competition, his time of 1:11.649 requires no amending.
1500: Canada’s Brayden Mcdougall takes to the Velodrome track. He is a C1 cyclist, the most impaired category in this race, so his time will be reduced to 89.06% of the one which he records on the clock. Nine riders left in the men’s C1, 2 and 3 1km Time Trial final.
1508: The Velodrome erupts, British cyclist Darren Kenny has just gone to the top of the leaderboard in the 1km Time Trial final. He's a C3 athlete, so his time of 1:10.203 goes up as it is. Seven riders to go...
1514: Darren Kenny’s joy did not last long. The C3 world record has gone and it is Li Zhang Yu who has swept into the lead. The C3 athlete’s time was factored down to 1:05.021 and he leads with just five competitors left.
1532: The last rider in the men's 1km Time Trial is Argentina's Rodrigo Fernando Lopez. He has to beat Li Zhang Yu's factored time of 1:05.021 to stop China making it two gold medals out of two.
1556: Yeah, I know. 30 gold medals. Count 'em. 30. It's a lot to pack into the next seven hours. But I'll be here to take you through every blistering step of the way.
1606: And just like that the gold rush begins...
1619: Looking ahead, and there's still plenty of action outside the velodrome tonight. There's still the judo, powerlifting and a whopping 15 finals in the pool to come...
1622: Talk about getting thrown in the deep end on Day One.
Keeping you abreast, here's a nifty little guide to tonight’s proceedings. All London times.
1730: Men’s 100m backstroke S6
1738: Women’s 100m Backstroke S6
1746: Men’s 400m Freestyle S12
1757: Women’s 400m Freestyle S12
1823: Men’s 100m Butterfly S8
1830: Women’s 100m Butterfly S8
1852: Men’s 100m Backstroke S7
1900: Women’s 100m Backstroke S7
1923: Men’s 100 Butterfly S9
1930:Women’s 100m Butterfly S9
1952: Men’s 200m Individual Medley SM10
2000: Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM10
2024: Men’s 50m Freestyle S5
2031: Women’s 50m Freestyle S5
2053: Men’s 50m Breaststroke SB2
1631: It’s been a dramatic day for the U.S. team with big medal hope Mallory Weggemann being reclassified from S7 to S8, which could cost her and America FOUR gold medals at London 2012.
1632: Here's what she had to say about it. Ouch.
"I feel as though the system has failed me, as well as other athletes. A system that we as athletes trust to do the right thing and maintain the integrity of the sport but also protect us as athletes to create an equal playing field for all.
After hearing word that our appeal to over turn the classification result had been denied I lost faith in that system. I have trained the past four and a half years for these games and within less then 24 hours before my first race was supposed to start it all changed, everything I had prepared myself for these past four years changed right there and then."
1651: You said it Ralph. Storey's story is an incredible story (wrap your lips round that). She was born without a left hand and only took up cycling as a way to keep fit after getting an ear infection in the pool. Now she's a Paralympic champion.
