Georgie Hermitage broke the world record to win her second gold of the Rio Paralympics in the T37 400m. 27-year-old Hermitage, who also won the T37 100m title on Friday, walked away from athletics ten years ago before returning to the sport after being inspired by London 2012.
Hermitage, who has cerebral palsy, stormed ahead of the rest of the field to finish the one lap event in 1 minute 0.53 seconds. Xiaoyan Wen of China came in second, almost three seconds behind the Brit, with Tunisian Neda Bahi winning the bronze medal.
Hermitage was the favourite for the event, with many expecting her to run under the sixty second mark. However, it wasn't to be in heat of 36 degree celsius and with her being so far ahead of the rest of the field she didn't need to push herself as hard.
Speaking after her race, she said "I did what I needed to do so I'm happy. The heat is a good thing for my hemiplegia as it loosens my muscles off, but I've still got to cope with the humidity. I'm really happy and relieved and I can relax for a day now before the relay. I was very nervous for this one because the 400m means everything, but I've pulled it off and hopefully there's more in the tank in years to come."
Hermitage wanted to compete in Rio to inspire her daughter, saying after her competition that “Everything’s for her. I want her to know you can do anything if you set your mind to it. I miss her so much.”
ParalympicsGB now have 29 gold medals at the Rio games, only five less than at the end of competition in London four years ago.