PARALYMPIC UPDATE: Medal joy for Hart (From Redditch Advertiser)

PARALYMPIC UPDATE: Medal joy for Hart

10:23pm Tuesday 4th September 2012 in Sport

REDDITCH'S Katrina Hart won her first Paralympic medal after she helped Great Britain take bronze in the T35/T38 4x100m relay.

The quartet set a season's best time of 56.08 seconds as they finished behind winners Russia and second-placed China.

Hart, 22, produced a dazzling third leg run to leave the home nation in the lead but a delayed hand over to Jenny McLoughlin took away the momentum and saw then settle for third place.

There was a suggestion it took place outside of the designated box but after scrutinising the event, race officials ratified GB's bronze medal, much to the delight of the relieved home foursome.

Afterwards a delighted Hart said: "I knew it was in all along, so I hoped no one noticed!

"It was incredible, I just kept hold of the baton, I wasn't going to let it go.

"The team has done so fantastically!"

Olivia Breen and Bethy Woodward had got GB off to a good start but Hart produced a blistering run to put GB ahead but as McLoughlin started prematurely, she struggled to hand the baton over in the right area. To her credit she kept a firm grip and managed to complete the handover.

McLoughlin managed to hold off the Australians to earn a medal.

A relieved McLoughlin said afterwards: "I think I went a bit too early and I slowed down a bit and really thought I was out of the box.

"When I finished Olivia came screaming at me 'yeah we did it!' "I thought I messed up, so I am so relieved."

The bronze makes up for Hart missing out on a medal in the T37 100m on Sunday and also gives her a lift ahead of the 200m tomorrow.