Paralympics: Raynsford and Aggar Secure Inaugural Rowing Golds for Britain

Great Britain's Helene Raynsford and Tom Aggar became the first Paralympic rowing gold medalists in history today, with both recording emphatic victories in their single sculls races in Beijing.

Raynsford, 28, completed her 1,000m race at Shunyi Olympic Rowing Park in 6min 12.93sec, 12.51 seconds clear of the field in the first ever Paralympic rowing final. Aggar, the 24-year-old world champion, collected the Paralympic title with a time of 5min 22.09sec, nearly six seconds quicker than Ukrainian silver medalist Oleksandr Petrenko.

The two rowing golds were Britain's second and third on day five, taking the tally to 24 in all, after shooter Matt Skelhon triumphed earlier in the day. The 23-year-old from Peterborough won the mixed R3 10 meters air rifle prone with a score of 704.9, just 0.5 ahead of China's Zhang Cuiping, with South Korea's Sim Jae-Yong taking bronze.

Skelhon held the edge throughout the 10-shot final, securing victory with a closing effort of 10.3, while team-mate Nathan Milgate was 12th. Skelhon's success helped Britain to remain in hot pursuit of medal table leaders China, who won four gold medals early on day five to take their total to 28.

Meanwhile, an athlete from the Irish delegation to the Games has been excluded from competition because he did not meet the minimal disability criteria for his condition. Derek Malone was due to feature in Ireland's seven-a-side football team, but a classification ruling by the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association deemed him ineligible to participate.

Malone, who won bronze in the T38 800 meters in Athens, entered the tournament as a CP8 - for players with the lowest level of cerebral palsy - and was assessed during Ireland's 4-2 loss to Iran on Monday. The Paralympic Council of Ireland were then informed of the decision.

The PCI believe the 28-year-old from Limerick, who is employed as one of their strength and conditioning coaches, has been disqualified for optimizing his performance through training. There is no cure for cerebral palsy, but the condition can be managed. "I find it ridiculous," said Malone, who opted to play football in Beijing after the T38 800m was removed from the athletics program. "High performance sport is about pushing the limits. This has left a bitter taste in my mouth because of the principles that I believe in: hard work, discipline and the chance to show what you can do."

There is no opportunity for the PCI to appeal against the ruling, but they have received the support of their counterparts from Ukraine, Brazil and Holland, who believe the football classification system is flawed.

Out on the track, multiple world champion wheelchair racer David Weir bounced back from defeat in his opening event at the Bird's Nest stadium to progress from the heats of the men's T54 800m. He led from start to finish to win heat two in 1min 36.24sec and qualify for the semi-finals. Team-mate Brian Alldis failed to progress, finishing seventh in the same heat.

Three-time Paralympian Weir will return to the track for tonight's 5,000m final where he hopes to win his first gold. "I am feeling much more positive today," he said. "I'm sticking to my schedule and I'll be back for my 5,000 meters final tonight."