RAF veteran wins Wheelchair Rugby gold at Tokyo Paralympics

An RAF veteran has made history as part of the first British team to win a Paralympic medal in wheelchair rugby.

Stuart Robinson scored 14 points as Paralympics GB beat three-time champions the United States 54-49.

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 Jim Roberts has consistently performed at the Yoyogi National Stadium over the past five days and once again led the way in Sunday’s showpiece.

Spearheaded by 24 tries from Roberts, Paralympics GB 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.

Cover image: Stuart Robinson playing wheelchair rugby for Great Britain against Canada at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan (Picture: Yohei Osada/AFLO SPORT/Alamy Live News).