The milestone moment for the country in the mixed gender game came following previous bests of bronze-medal match defeats in 1996, 2004 and 2008
Sunday 29 August 2021 15:40, UK
Great Britain claimed a historic first Paralympic medal in wheelchair rugby after storming to gold with a superb 54-49 win over three-time champions the United States.
Spearheaded by 24 tries from Jim Roberts, ParalympicsGB triumphed in Tokyo having led at the end of each quarter.
Wheelchair rugby made its full debut as a medal event at Sydney 2000 after being a demonstration sport at the Atlanta Games four years earlier.
A milestone moment for the country in the mixed gender game came following previous bests of bronze-medal match defeats in 1996, 2004 and 2008.
Jointly captained by Chris Ryan and Gavin Walker, GB had guaranteed a place on the podium on Saturday courtesy of a 55-49 win over hosts Japan.
Top scorer Roberts has consistently performed at the Yoyogi National Stadium over the past five days and once again led the way in Sunday's showpiece.
Stuart Robinson and Aaron Phipps chipped in with 14 and 11 scores respectively to keep the scoreboard ticking over and ultimately ensure an unprecedented achievement.
