The 21-year-old from Plymouth (pictured above and below), who has cerebral palsy, went into the final as the overwhelming favourite having set a world record in the heats earlier in the day.

But despite taking a huge earlier lead, Fox was forced to fight to the finish as Ukraine's S6 European champion Yevheniy Bohodayko, who was re-classified just days before the Games, came back strongly to put real pressure on the Briton in the closing stages.

Fox, however, managed to hold on as he touched in 1min 10.46sec, just ahead of Bohodayko and Croatia's Mihovil Španja, who took the bronze medal.

The time was down on the world record that Fox set in the heats, but he did not appear concerned in the slightest as he slapped the water in celebration and waved manically to a deafening crowd at the Aquatics Centre.

"In the final it's all about getting that gold medal around your neck, so I am really happy," said Fox, who improved on the silver medal he won in the event at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics.

"When I turned at 50 metres I was feeling good but the last 25 metres my legs blew up.


"You are always thinking in the back of your mind 'I can see the guy in lane five coming back' and you are dying inside and you just want to finish it.

"I'm just delighted to have the win."

The victory marked a successful night in the pool for Britain as there were also two silver medals, won by Nyree Kindred in the S6 100m backstroke and Hannah Russell (pictured below) in the S12 400m freestyle events.

For Kindred, competing in her fourth Games, the silver was the 10th Paralympic medal of her career and made even more impressive given that the 31-year-old from Wales gave birth to her first child, Ella, less than 15 months ago.

She finished behind China's Lu Dong, who won the gold in a world record 1:24.71, but held off defending champion Mirjam de Koning-Peper of the Netherlands who claimed bronze.

"I'm extremely happy," said Kindred, who has cerebral palsy.

"A personal best [1:26:23] and a silver medal, I can't ask for much more than that.

"Ella was here today in the crowd today.

"She's ready to cheer on daddy [Sasha Kindred] later on in the week."


Meanwhile 16-year-old Russell marked her Paralympic debut with an impressive silver and personal best of 4:38.60 in her S12 400m freestyle final.

The visually impaired teenager, who holds British records in six different events, was involved in an epic battle with triple Paralympic gold medallist Russia's Oxana Savchenko, but just missed out on the win against her rival.

"This is a dream come true for me and silver is a bonus," reflected Russell.

Elsewhere British medal hope Susie Rodgers finished seventh in the S7 100m backstroke final while Stephanie Millward and Claire Cashmore also missed out on medals after coming fifth and eighth respectively in the S9 100m butterfly.

That event was won by Paralympic legend Natalie Du Toit of South Africa who claimed the 11th gold of her career, while America's Jessica Long achieved her eighth Paralympic gold defending the S8 100m butterfly title she won at Beijing 2008.

New Zealand's Sophie Pascoe broke her second world record of day, finishing in 2:25.65 to retain her SM10 200m individual medley title.

It was also an impressive night for China with Tao Zheng claiming a world record in the men's S6 100m backstroke.

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