A SALISBURY-born Paralympian added to his clutch of medals in the 2012 London games and became one of the most successful athletes ever in the process, writes Joel Holt.


Darren Kenny OBE smashed the world record in the Individual Pursuit C3 category, clocking a formidable 3:35.257 minutes – 2.66 seconds faster than the gold medal time - in the Velodrome on Friday. But he had gone steady in the heats, due to a knee injury picked up having finished fourth in Thursday’s Time Trial, and with the third fastest time in qualifying, the best he could hope for was bronze.

The 42-year-old used his wealth of experience to bring home a silver medal in the Team Sprint on Sunday with teammates Jon-Allan Butterworth and Rik Wadden, China taking the gold.

“I obviously got the next ride right, and it’s good to get the new world record, but obviously I would rather have done it in the other race,” Kenny, who won four golds in Beijing in 2008, said after the Individual Pursuit.

“Having hurt my knee yesterday, we went a bit softer in the morning ride because I thought that would be the best way to go. It turned out we should have just raced as hard as I possibly could, as I did this afternoon.

“It’s just one of those things and it’s obviously nice to win that race and get a medal.”

The result is believed to make Kenny the most successful Paralympic cyclist ever, with six golds, three silvers and one bronze medal from his career.

The racing superstar, who now lives in Verwood, has enjoyed much success off the track too. He received an honorary doctorate from Bournemouth University in 2009 and was named Disabled Sportsman of the Year in 2004 and 2008.

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