Paralympics day 4

Working for ITN - logging the events and getting to watch some top-notch sport in the process.

A new phenomenon gripped me today. Paralympic relay swimming. What a fantastically exciting event.

With Olympic relay swimming, basically, in finals, the strongest swimmers all head out and the favourites are head to head for most of the race, and only minimal deficits are closed by the better swimmers.

Not in Paralympic relays.

They have to choose a squad from all of their swimmers, of all kinds of disabilities and abilities, who total 34 points. An S10 athlete, who is deemed the most physically able, costs the most points (10) to use while a S5 swimmer, who may have co-ordination problems and be slower, costs the less points (5).

The real battle comes with tactics.

Choosing who goes when, when you want your leads built up and who you want anchoring and bringing it home is all very important and can win you a race.

Although you're fully aware throughout the whole race that the lead will change due to tactics, it's still surprising when a lead disappears.

It's that human emotion to always want to lead which makes it agonizing yet exciting.

Our GB boys didn't win the final, but as they'd competed - and competed so well - earlier in the heats, the performance were all the more better.

Great, great sport.

Classification gone mad

The Women's Discus medal mix up, where factored scores had lead officials to award the wrong medals - even giving the wrong medals out - has lead to an unprecedented act.

The Women's Discus has now awarded 2 golds, a silver and 2 bronze medals, even though they now actually know the rightful winners.

A very embarrassing mix up all-round. I don;t know how the original gold medalist, who retains her tangible, material medal, but for the history books is down as a silver medalist, can actually accept that.

Just give out the official medals - and cut this PC crap.

Great drama all day in the velodrome as well. If there's anything we Brits know what to do, it's ride a bike around a track.

Fantastic game of cat and mouse by Maclean and Kappe versus Storey and Fachie with Maclean piloting to the win.

Tandems aren't usually meant to be exciting. Not saying I'll be rushing out to buy one but they look alright speeding around a track.

Faster than Farah...

Who could forget David Weir - the fastest man on three wheels.

It was a tense 5000m where one of the games' hottest prospects had to deliver and he did.

Cagey, tense, lead swapping - but, curiously, never taken by Weir. He hung back, poised, not wanting to draw attention to himself, pouncing a the right time, 200m before the line and no one could deal with his power.

Hats off to you, Dave. It was special and every bit as special as Mo Farah's race.

Well, it was two minutes quicker, anyway.