Four-time gold medallist at London 2012 Sarah Storey has been made a Dame of the British Empire (DBE). Storey has a total of 22 medals to her name (11 Gold, eight Silver and three Bronze) from six Paralympic Games. She received an OBE following Beijing 2008.

Meanwhile David Weir, who also won four gold medals at London 2012, is awarded a CBE. Weir has six golds, two silver and two bronze medals from four Paralympic Games. He received an MBE following Beijing 2008.

Also recognised are triple gold medallist Sophie Christiansen, who is awarded an OBE, and multi-medallist Eleanor Simmonds. Both were awarded MBEs following Beijing, where they both won two gold medals.

Among athletes named today as receiving MBEs are Helena Lucas, the first ever British gold medallist in Paralympic sailing, the mixed coxed four which won the first ever British Paralympic gold in that event in rowing and Josef Craig, the youngest gold medallist in ParalympicsGB in London who swam a world record in his final to clinch the 400m freestyle (S7) title.

Nigel Murray, a four time Paralympian in Boccia, is also recognised with a MBE. Murray is Britain’s most successful Boccia player, having won two golds, one silver and one bronze medal from four Games appearances. He is also the fifth most successful player of all time. He announced his retirement following London 2012.

Tim Hollingsworth, Chief Executive of the British Paralympic Association, said: “The recognition of our Paralympic athletes in the New Year’s Honours List is a wonderful way to bring this remarkable year to a close.

“Their performances on the field of play not only received rapturous applause from the crowds at London 2012 and viewers of the TV coverage, many of whom were experiencing Paralympic sport for the first time, but the 11 days of sport that we witnessed this summer also gripped the nation and changed many peoples’ perception of disability sport.

“It is fitting that so many of our gold medallists are today offered some of the highest tributes possible which reflect not only their sporting talent but also the sheer hard work and dedication that they put into preparing for their home Games.”Tim Hollingsworth

“It is fitting that so many of our gold medallists are today offered some of the highest tributes possible which reflect not only their sporting talent but also the sheer hard work and dedication that they put into preparing for their home Games. We are extremely proud of their achievements.”

Speaking today, Sarah Storey said: “Wow, I am speechless but incredibly honoured and extremely proud to accept the DBE.

"I love competing for my country and that is a huge honour in itself."Dame Sarah Storey

“I never expected any additional awards after my sporting success, I love competing for my country and that is a huge honour in itself. Now to be a Dame is beyond anything I could have ever imagined and I cannot thank my family, friends coaches and support staff over all the years enough for their devotion in helping me to follow the path of becoming the best athlete I can possibly be.”

Also recognised are David Brailsford, Performance Director at British Cycling who also has overall responsibility for the para-cycling programme, David Tanner, Performance Director of British Rowing, who has responsibility for the adaptive rowing programme, and Will Connell, Performance Director of the British Equestrian Federation, who has overall responsibility for the para-equestrian team. From the home nations Gordon McCormack, Chair of Scottish Disability Sport, receives an OBE and Anthony Hughes, National Performance Manager for Disability Sport Wales, receives a MBE.

The list of athletes and officials in Paralympic sport is:

Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Sarah Joanne, Mrs STOREY, OBE – Cyclist (Greater Manchester)

Knighthoods
David John BRAILSFORD, CBE - Performance Director, British Cycling (Derbyshire)
David Whitlock TANNER, CBE - Performance Director, British Rowing (Middlesex)

Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
David Russell WEIR, MBE - Wheelchair Athlete (London)

Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Ms Sophie Margaret CHRISTIANSEN, MBE - Para-Equestrian (Berkshire)
Miss Eleanor Mary SIMMONDS, MBE – Swimmer (West Glamorgan)

Members of the Order of the British Empire
Miss Jessica-Jane APPLEGATE – Swimmer (Norfolk)
Miss Natasha BAKER - Para-Equestrian (Middlesex)
Miss Danielle BROWN - Archer (Shropshire)
Michael BUSHELL - Wheelchair Athlete (Shropshire)
Miss Hannah COCKROFT- Athlete (West Yorkshire)
Mark COLBOURNE - Cyclist (Monmouthshire)
William James Gray CONNELL - Performance Director, British Equestrian Federation (Leicestershire)
Josef CRAIG – Swimmer (Tyne and Wear)
Deborah, Mrs CRIDDLE - Para-Equestrian (Somerset)
Aled Sion DAVIES - Discus Athlete (Cardiff)
Neil FACHIE - Cyclist (Greater Manchester)
Jonathan FOX - Swimmer (Cornwall)
Miss Heather FREDERIKSEN - Swimmer (Cheshire)
Anthony HUGHES - National Performance Manager, Disability Sport Wales (The Vale of Glamorgan)
Oliver HYND – Swimmer ( Nottinghamshire)
Miss Helena LUCAS - Keelboat Sailor (Hampshire)
Craig MACLEAN - Cycling Pilot (Cheshire)
Nigel Patrick MURRAY - Paralympic Boccia Player (Warwickshire)
Jonathan PEACOCK - Sprinter (Cambridgeshire)
Ms Josie Rachel PEARSON - Discus Athlete (Herefordshire)
Miss Pamela Lillian RELPH - Rower, Mixed Coxed Four (Buckinghamshire)
Miss Naomi RICHES - Rower, Mixed Coxed Four (Buckinghamshire)
James ROE - Rower, Mixed Coxed Four (Warwickshire)
David SMITH - Rower, Mixed Coxed Four (Inverness-shire)
Miss Lily Jacoba VAN DEN BROECKE - Cox (Durham)
Ms Sophie WELLS - Para-Equestrian (Nottinghamshire)
Richard WHITEHEAD - Sprinter (Nottinghamshire)
 

The festival will provide an opportunity for disabled people to try out different disability sports and explore how they can get involved. It will showcase summer and winter Paralympic sports, including para-triathlon and para-canoeing which will feature on the Paralympic programme for the first time in Rio. There will also be opportunities to meet the stars of the ParalympicsGB team from London, including Jonnie Peacock, and to celebrate their amazing achievements and the inspiration they provided to the whole nation.

The T44 100m gold medallist is keen to support the festival. He was identified by the BPA in 2008 at a talent identification day and was supported in his first year in sport by the BPA’s Fast Track Power Programme before moving to a full-time UK Athletics programme.

“I am a walking example of how sport can change your life for the better”, he said. “Sport has totally shaped the person I am today. I went to a BPA talent day when I was 15 years old and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. Sport gave me some direction. I am not saying that everyone can go on and win a Paralympic medal, but the process of getting more active or taking up a sport at a local club can definitely have a big impact on your life.”

BPA Chief Executive Tim Hollingsworth explained the festival further, saying:

"This is about giving people the chance to see what is out there that works for them."Tim Hollingsworth

“The festival is about building on the momentum of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. We know that the performances of our athletes will have inspired many disabled people to take up sport. This is not just about seeing who is out there who could one day pull on a ParalympicsGB vest, this is about giving people the chance to see what is out there that works for them. For some it might be coaching, officiating or volunteering, for others just the joy of taking part.

“We recognise that the hard work of our athletes this summer has inspired disabled and non-disabled people alike, but we also know that for many sport isn’t just about winning medals. So now, working with our partners, we hope to provide an opportunity to show all the different ways in which people can get involved.”

The Sports Fest, which is free to attend, will include either come-and-try sessions or information stands for the vast majority of the 22 summer and three winter sports in the Paralympic Games. There will also be a presence from the BPA’s online club signposting tool Deloitte Parasport, which has seen a huge upsurge in traffic since the start of the Paralympic Games, as well as the opportunity for other partners to demonstrate the opportunities they provide to get into sport.

Click here to register to attend ParalympicsGB Sports Fest at Surrey Sports Park in December 2012, or to register for more information on ParalympicsGB Sports Fest elsewhere in the UK in 2013.

Davies, a 21 year old from Cardiff, has now landed two medals on his Paralympic Games debut. His gold in the F42 Discus today followed the bronze he won in the F42/44 Shot on Friday.

Davies was clearly emotional after his success. Draped in a Union flag, he clenched his fists and waved in joy as he went to celebrate with the crowd.

He had thrown down the gauntlet from the start, taking the lead with an opening round effort of 45.31 metres. He extended this lead 45.37m in the third round, but saved the best until last.

Roared on by the home crowd and wiping away his tears as he stepped into the circle for the final time, he threw 46.14m to secure the prized gold medal.

“It was a tough competition, but I dug deep,” he said afterwards. “It’s surreal, it hasn’t sunk in yet.

“I couldn’t wait to get back out there this morning. I learned a lot from the Shot Put. It wasn’t going to be easy as there were a lot of incredible athletes out there.

“I knew I was in world record form. I came in with a target of 50m. I didn’t quite reach that, but I did throw a European record. It was unbelievable. I had a tear in my eye when I went back out for my last throw.

"Four years of hard work have gone into this. It’s nice to give something back to everyone. I’m just so happy I performed. I’ve worked so hard so to deliver, and to give something back on the biggest stage, I can’t believe it.

“I’m sad to know that was my last event here,” he added. “The place is addictive. I’ve got a lot of love for this crowd.”

Earlier Stef Reid (pictured above) leapt to a Paralympic record for her F44 class to win silver in the F42/44 Long Jump.

She started off what promised to be a busy day for her – she goes in the T44 100m final at 21.32 – with a no-jump in the opening round. But she soon got into the swing of things, following that up with 5.08m in the second round and then the Paralympic record of 5.28m in round three.

That put her into second overall, with Australia’s Kelly Cartwright leading the event, which combines athletes from F42 and F44 classes. The Australian had already produced a world record for her class to lead the field.

Reid, who trains in Loughborough, couldn’t improve on her performance in her final three jumps, but had already done enough to claim silver, with Marie-Ameliele Fur, France’s F44 world record holder, unable to close the gap with her final jump.

Reid said she was "gutted but thrilled" – thrilled to win silver but gutted that she couldn’t convert it to gold.

“I guess I’m thrilled. I’m gutted but I’m thrilled at the same time,” she said. “When I'd had the sixth jump, and I knew it wasn't enough to win, I have to admit I walked away disappointed. The truth is there's something really special about just giving your best in a situation. That is what I did.

“If someone had told me four years ago, after I’d endured the hardest four years of my life, to get a silver would have been worth it. I have no regrets.

“This has just confirmed to me that I love what I do. I’m so incredibly grateful to be here,” she said.

But there was disappointment for Shelly Woods, who finished eighth in the T54 5000m final. Woods, the bronze medallist in Beijing four years ago, looked well placed throughout the final and mounted a couple of attacks to try to take the sting out of the opposition.

But she lost touch as the leaders sprinted away in the last 200m, with Switzerland’s Edith Wolf, formerly Hunkeler, racing home to take gold.

“I’m understandably disappointed, it’s not what I wanted, but I stuck to my plan and I wouldn’t have raced it any differently,” said Woods, from Lytham St Annes, who came home in 12 minutes 29.26 seconds.

“The other girls were just stronger. I tried to break them. I attacked to try to take it out of them but it didn’t work. They were brave tactics.

“It’s such a high quality field and we could race that again and it would be a different outcome. I’ve got a rest day tomorrow and I just have to pick myself up formy remaining events.”

Sprinters Ben Rushgrove and Graeme Ballard looked impressive as they cruised into tonight’s T36 100m final.

Both were second in their heats this morning, with Bath’s Rushgrove running a season’s best 12.35 seconds and Chorley’s world record holder Ballard clocking 12.68, despite slipping as he powered out of the starting blocks.

Jenny McLoughlin and Katrina Hart made it through to tonight’s T37 100m final, but not without a hint of drama. Chepstow athlete McLoughlin was second in heattwo in 14.48 to bag an automatic berth in the final. But Hart, the reigning Commonwealth champion for the event, came fourth in heat one and had to wait to see whether her time of 14.71 was quick enough to progress. It was and she gets to race again later.

First time Paralympian David Devine progressed to the T13 1500m final. Fifth in his heat, his time of 3:55.95 was good enough to earn a "fastest losers" qualifying spot.

It was a disappointing morning for Tracey Hinton, who was run out of a place in the T11 200m final. Partnered by guide runner Steffan Hughes, the six-times Paralympian from Cardiff came third in 27.38.

There’s more to come in the evening session, which gets underway at 19.00. The action includes David Weir in the last final of the night – the T54 5000m at 21.49.

• For detailed results, click the Results tab at the top of the page
• For more news and pictures from London 2012, go to the ParalympicsGB website: www.paralympics.org.uk/gb

 Competing in the first of three heats, the 16 year old bided her time before overtaking Australia’s early leader, Kayla Clarke, in the final 50m to touch in two minutes 14.31 seconds – 0.29 seconds faster than her old national marker.

Natalie Massey will join Applegate in the final after qualifying fourth fastest. The world bronze medallist dug deep to hold off Sweden’s fast-finishing Pernilla Lindberg in the final stretch and set a season’s best 2:16.21 to progress.

Having finished fifth in the S14 100m Backstroke earlier in the Games, 13 year old Chloe Davies narrowly missed out on reaching her second final as she finished ninth overall in 2:18.10.

Clegg became the first British S12 swimmer to go under a minute for 100m Butterfly as he made a memorable Paralympic debut to win his heat.

After turning in second, the Scotland-based 18 year old powered clear of his rivals in the back 50m to touch in 59.99 seconds and secure his final berth as third fastest qualifier.

“I’m happy with that – it’s brilliant,” said Clegg. “My turns weren’t great and my finish wasn’t brilliant either, so hopefully I can knock some more time off that tonight and see if I end up with a medal.

“The other guys will definitely improve for tonight so we’ll just how it goes.”

With only eight entrants, there were no heats for the women’s S12 100m Butterfly in which Hannah Russell will try for her second medal of the Games tonight.

The British 34pt 4x100m Freestyle quartet raised the roof in the last heat of the session as they won a dramatic race to qualify fastest for tonight’s final. After solid legs from S8 swimmers Sean Fraser, Tom Young and Sam Hynd, S10 swimmer Rob Welbourn anchored the Britons past Australia in the final stretch to touch in 3:57.87.

Having won the title for the past three Games, the British quartet know a fourth consecutive gold won’t come easily with Brazil qualifying second fastest in 4:00.12 and Russia third in 4:00.30.

World and European champion Dan Pepper made smooth progress from the S14 200m Freestyle heats as he clocked a season’s best 2:01.94 to qualify fourth fastest.

Pepper’s teammate, Ben Procter (they are in the picture above) led for threequarters of the heat before Pepper touched him out at the wall by just 0.03 seconds. Pepper admitted he had come to expect a close race with Procter whenever the pair compete.

“Me and Ben are great rivals in the pool and best mates out of the pool, so it’s great when either of us gets the touch,” said Pepper.

“It was a good time for me – I’m really chuffed. I have been focusing more on my breaststroke, so I just wanted to go in there today and get used to the pool a bit. So to come away with a quick swim is great – perhaps I should prepare like that more often.”

Procter’s time – a personal best 2:01.97 – was comfortable enough to see him through to the final in fifth, while Craig Rodgie missed out by less than a second as he finished ninth overall in 2:05.59.

Rhiannon Henry booked her second final spot of London 2012 as she qualified fourth fastest in the S13 100m Freestyle. Having finished seventh in last night’s 50m Free, the European champion swam a controlled race over double the distance, touching second in her heat in 1:01.87 to progress.

Heather Frederiksen also reached her second final of London 2012 as she won her S8 50m Freestyle heat.

• For detailed results, click the Results tab at the top of the page

• For more news and pictures from London 2012, go to the ParalympicsGB website: www.paralympics.org.uk/gb

Fachie and Storey, considered GB’s second-ranked tandem duo coming into these Games, won Time Trial gold on Saturday after Kappes and Maclean committed two false starts.

Kappes, who won both events in Beijing with Storey as his sighted pilot, gained a measure of revenge in qualifying but could not reach his target of riding the first tandem to break the 10-second mark.

Both tandems breezed through the quarter-finals and face semi-finals at the start of the afternoon session, but are expected to go head-to-head in the best of three final from 14.59.

GB’s Darren Kenny, Rik Waddon and Jon-Allan Butterworth completed the three-lap Team Sprint qualifier in 49.808 seconds but China went faster by four thousandths of a second, to set up a gripping final between the two nations at 15.33.

Defending champion Aileen McGlynn missed out on a chance to race for gold in the B 3km Pursuit when she and Helen Scott finished third in qualifying. They will now race team-mates Lora Turnham and her pilot Fiona Duncan in the bronze medal match.

• For detailed results, click the Results tab at the top of the page
• For more news and pictures from London 2012, go to the ParalympicsGB website: www.paralympics.org.uk/gb

Aggar went to the start line knowing he had a fight on his hands after Huang Cheng of China set a world best of four minutes 45.02 seconds for the 1km course in the heats.

Russia's Aleksey Chuvashev took the lead off the start, tracked by Huang with the Chinese overhauling him at half way. Aggar was third, still in contention and only half a canvas down on the lead, with Erik Horrie of Australia pressing hard.

Regular watchers of Aggar were unfazed at this point knowing the second half is normally his strength. Today, though, his trademark finish was not there and Huang took gold in 4:52.36 with Horrie in silver and Chuvashev third.

Aggar, who finished fourth in 4:58.08, said he simply hadn’t felt like himself. “I’m devastated,” admitted the 28 year old Londoner after his first taste of defeat since he started rowing in 2007. “Going in I was the favourite on paper and had great preparation. But when I asked for more today, it just wasn’t there.

“The standard has moved on massively and I just wasn’t myself today. I will be back. I’m a fighter through and through.”

There was disappointment for Nick Beighton and Sam Scowen too. After winning yesterday's repechage, they had hoped to get among the medals in the mixed Double Scull but were also left adrift in fourth by strong Chinese rowers.

China’s Lou Xiaoxian and Fei Tianming led from 300m and took gold ahead of French duo Perle Bouge and Stephane Tardieu while USA’s Oksana Masters and Rob Jones pipped the British duo for bronze after a three-way battle with Australia.

Scowen, who learnt to row on the course at Eton Dorney, said: “I didn't expect to get to a Paralympic final but I'm gutted to miss out on a medal by such a small margin.”

“It’s bittersweet,” added Beighton. “We are so proud of what we have achieved. We have worked so hard. You always aim for the top and we gave it everything. You win some, you lose some. When you put it all in perspective, we’ve achieved a huge amount.”

I can't believe how proud I am of this crewLily van den Broecke

With two fourth places, it was left to the Van den Broecke-coxed quartet of Relph, Riches, Smith and Roe to bring some cheer to the starved Dorney fans.

The Britons took gold at last year's World Championships in Bled and again in this year's World Cup at Munich but knew they faced a tough race against the Canadian and German teams. As if to make their task harder, they suffered what Van den Broecke called an "equipment failure" in warm-up when their speed coach, which shows stroke rate, fell in the water.

Without their usual full preparation, GB had to come from behind after Germany got off to a flyer. The Britons responded superbly, however, and took the lead after halfway. The Germans applied pressure at the end but the GB boat held on to win by half a length lead in 3:19.38.

Londoner Van den Broecke said she was amazed at how the crew had pulled it off after their warm-up mishap. “I can’t believe how proud I am of this crew for keeping everything together,” she said. “This is two years’ work and it’s incredible.”

For Roe, who lives in Caversham, their pre-race problems meant the race was "all a bit of a blur". “We had a few interruptions on the way to the start but kept our focus and stuck to the plan,” he said. “We had confidence in what we could do.”

For Aylesbury’s Relph, it was an overwhelming experience. “I can’t believe that this season is over and we did exactly what we needed to do,” said the 22 year old. “I am blown away by the crowd and so proud of my crew.”

Smith, from Aviemore, added: “This is the best day of my life. It is going to take a long time to sink in.”

Riches, a Londoner, said: “I just heard somebody say the word Paralympic champion. We choose to be athletes and now all the moments of pain and the hours of training have been worth it.”

• For detailed results, click the Results tab at the top of the page

• For more news and pictures from London 2012,  go to the ParalympicsGB website: www.paralympics.org.uk/gb

The 22 year old from Newark in Nottinghamshire scored 75.906% in the Team test, but she had to follow George today knowing the Belgian had produced a polished display worth 77.065 on her ride Rainman.

“I don’t usually hear the commentary as I’m going into the ring, but today I heard it – I heard what a good score Michelle had got,” said Wells. “It was very difficult to block that out during the test. It wasn't the best preparation.

“Michelle is a great rider and has a great horse and I knew then that I’d have to be at my best and do the best test I’d ever done to beat her.

“We made a mistake in a simple movement, when he trotted instead of walking, and you can’t make up for things like that. It was uncharacteristic and not his fault. There’s no excuse. I take responsibility and we’ll go and work on it for the future.

“Michelle was the better combination today. You do your best on the day, and my best wasn’t good enough. I knew I’d blown it.”

Winning a medal was a bittersweet moment for Wells, who was due to compete in Beijing as an 18 year old but had to pull out when her horse Touchdown went lame. It was a tough blow for her, and after winning one world and two European titles in the last three years, a Paralympic silver in front of another large home crowd is only partial compensation.

"When we did the Team tests, the horses aren't looking for anything in the arena,” she said. “But today they're more apprehensive, remembering what they'd seen on Friday. You can't explain to the horses that the crowds are here to support them. That's sport.”

Wells’ silver is Britain’s third Equestrian medal of the Games following Natasha Baker’s gold in the grade II test on Saturday and Lee Pearson’s grade Ib silver. Britain are also top of the standings in the Team event which will be settled today after the final two individual Championship tests.

Deb Criddle goes in the grade III event at 13.45 and Sophie Christainsen in grade Ia at 16.15.Wells will ride again in the grade IV Freestyle test on Tuesday.

• For detailed results, click the Results tab at the top of the page

• For more news and pictures from London 2012, go to the ParalympicsGB website: www.paralympics.org.uk/gb

GB will contest medals in the men's single Scull at 11:10, the mixed double Scull at 11:30 and the mixed Coxed Four at 11:50 in a stirring hour of action to bring the curtain down on the Paralympic regatta.

Paralympic and world champion Tom Aggar will race in lane three next to China's Cheng Huang, who set a world best in the heats, and 2011 world bronze medallist Erik Horrie of Australia.

Aleksey Chuvashev from Russia, who won silver behind Londoner Aggar at the 2011 World Championships, races in lane five, with Korea's Jun-Ha Park and Brazil's Luciano Luna de Oliveira in the outside lanes.

“You go out with the mindset to push yourself to the absolute limit and race hard, race your best race and as long as I have spent myself , then whatever the result is I'll be pleased," said Aggar, 28, who is unbeaten since he started racing internationally in 2007

"I knew it was always going to be tough. I have been saying it for a while. Everyone raises their game. What will be, will be.

"To see the stands almost filled is fantastic for the heats and I am sure it will be even louder for the final."

Army captain Nick Beighton, 30, from Shrewsbury, and Sam Scowen, 24, from Wokingham - they are pictured above - will follow Aggar's race down the Dorney course, past the view of Windsor Castle and into the roar before the line of bubbles which marks the finish line.

"We’re looking forward to tomorrow just to do ourselves proud," said Beighton, who praised the team's togetherness as a key to its success in getting every Olympic and Paralympic crew into finals.

"We are part of a greater whole. Within the Paralympic squad,  there is a fabulous feel. There is a really tight-knit group, a happy group. That is critical to success because it is not just what happens on the water here necessarily, it is all those hard hours you put in training away in the winter in Banyoles when you have a laugh and take the mick out of each other.

"And then to train alongside the Olympic squad at Caversham, it is a culture of success and you get swept up in that and you get a lot of belief from that."

The GB mixed double Scullers earned a place in lane five for the final after winning their repechage today (Saturday) and line up with two crews who set world bests in the heats, France and China.

The talented field also features heat-winners France and strong crews from the USA, Italy and Australia.

The final race of the regatta is the mixed Coxed Four. The GB world champions were inspired by the crowd en route to winning their heat and hope the noise will guide them home in the lead one more time.

“It's like rowing in a stadium," said 34 year old David Smith, who previously competed for GB at karate and bobsleigh before switching to Paralympic rowing.

GB race in lane three next to fellow heat-winners Germany, who won silver behind GB at the 2012 Munich World Cup, and Ukraine, who won bronze in Munich. Italy, China and USA complete a highly competitive field for the race.

Smith added: “We race to win our race and focus on our own boat as you can't control the uncontrolables. We'll just stick to our plan and hope we cross the line first.

“The sport is always stepping on. We're never complacent but we'll focus on what we know and what we do. We'll go out on Sunday and put down our best performance.”

• For more news and pictures from London 2012, go to the ParalympicsGB website: www.paralympics.org.uk/gb 

“We knew we didn’t have a choice,” said 24-year-old  Scowen from Wokingham, who learned to row at Dorney before being spotted at a Paralympic talent day.

She added: “If we wanted to beat the Italians, we had to be flat out. It’s nice to be joining the two other GB crews in the A final. It’s been a brilliant day and tomorrow we will just go out and do our best.”

Beighton, 30, from Shrewsbury, who took up rowing after being injured in Afghanistan three years ago, said: “It was just a matter of getting in to the final today. We wanted to go out hard and control it from the front. We will probably bask in the glow of reaching the final until lunchtime then, focus on tomorrow.

“Chance plays a part in all our lives and you just go with it. It’s bad luck when you step on an IED  [improvised explosive device], good luck when reach a Paralympic final.”

Beighton and Scowen put in a spirited performance on Friday, finishing a close second to winners France and they started well in today’s "second-chance" repechage. They took an early lead in lane three, looking calm and controlled, as the crews raced towards the grandstands. 

The GB double, which only came together in 2011 when Beighton came into the GB Paralympic programme, qualified for London 2012 by reaching the final of the World Championships last September.

At halfway today, GB led Italy by half a length with Brazil pushing on strongly in third. As they hit the stands and the wall of noise, it was a three-way race for two spots in the final with GB holding on in first. The GB crew extended their lead to a length in the closing metres. Italy clinched second with a late burst and join GB in the final. Brazil were third.

The finals tomorrow (Sunday) are at 11:10 for Tom Aggar in the men's single Scull, 11:30 for Beighton and Scowen in the mixed double Scull, and 11:50 for Pam Relph, Naomi Riches, David Smith, James Roe and cox Lily van den Broecke in the mixed Coxed Four.

• For detailed results, click the Results tab at the top of the page

GB's Army Captain Nick Beighton and Sam Scowen, in the mixed double Scull, put in a sterling performance to finish second in their heat behind winners France, who set a new world best time, and ahead of Australia. They will now race in the repechage at 10:50 on Saturday  and need to finish in the top two to qualify for the final.

GB rowing Performance Director David Tanner said: "I'm pleased with our rowers today. They were two emphatic wins from Tom Aggar and the Four and a really spirited performance from the double who now have to raise their game again in the repechage tomorrow."

The crowd roared Londoner Aggar home ahead of scullers from Korea and Brazil in the first heat of the men's arms-and-shoulders-only single Sculls.

Aggar, who switched from rugby to rowing after breaking his back while at university, said: “It went to plan. I went out hard in the first half and then was able to cruise in to the finish. I wasn’t fazed by the conditions.

“Choppy waters can be difficult but everyone is in the same position. I want to go out on Sunday now and set a personal best if the conditions are right.”

Veteran  three-times world bronze medallist Ron Harvey, from the USA, went off hardest along with Luciano Luna de Oliveira of Brazil but Aggar hit the front of the field after 350m to a huge chorus of approval from the vocal crowd.

He quickly pulled out a lead of a length and maintained it until the finish, chased by Jun-ha Park of Korea and Luna de Oliveira who finished second and third.

Aggar, unbeaten since he started racing internationally in 2007, faces a tough final which will include China's Cheng Huang, who won the second heat in a world best time as records tumbled in tail-wind conditions at the Paralympic rowing venue - with new world best times also set in the women's single Scull and the mixed double Scull events.

"We knew the Chinese were going to be strong and there was a world best time in the doubles as well, so it is going to be a real dog fight in the final," said Aggar, who beat Huang in their only race so far this year at the Varese International Regatta in April.

The mixed Coxed Four were also impressive as winners of their heat, finishing by a clear margin from the USA in second and Canada in third.

“I’m pleased with the race, we had a job to do and we executed it," said Naomi Riches, a five-times world champion from Harrow and the only survivor from the Beijing Four which won bronze.

"The conditions were tricky but we train at Caversham [not far from the Paralympic venue] so we are fairly used to them and just tried to relax. The crowd were amazing but we have to stay in our bubble and listen to Lily [cox Lily van den Broecke].”

Smith, 34, a former GB karate and bobsleigh athlete from Aviemore, who survived a life-threatening operation to remove a tumour in his spinal cord between winning the 2009 and 2011 World Championships, said: “As soon as you hear that noise, it just lifts you completely. You can feel they are all there for you.”

The crew's cox, van den Broecke from Oxford, 14 years younger than Smith, said: “Nothing took us by surprise but it was still overwhelming. It is hard not to let your emotions come into play but I was proud of the crew because even with all the expectation and emotions they still did the job on the day."

James Roe (pictured above) also praised the partisan crowd and was glad to experience the roar ahead of Sunday's medal race. “It was nice just to get the first race done and out of the way," said Roe, 24, a 2009 and 2011 world champion from Stratford-upon-Avon who came from a club and university rowing programme before moving into Paralympic rowing when his eyesight worsened. Roe and Riches both row with black-out goggles.

GB's main rivals Germany also qualified direct for the final winning the first heat of the mixed coxed fours.

Pam Relph, in the bow seat of the GB four, said: "When we raced them at the Munich World Cup we always knew they were going to push us but we just have to concentrate on our own boat. We’re only concerned with what we can control.

“It’s Paralympic year, everybody is going to step up," added the 22 year old who followed her sister Monica, a world Under 23 rowing medallist, into the GB rowing programme in 2010 after arthritis caused her to leave an army scholarship.

The GB mixed double Scull which came together in 2011 put in a great performance to qualify the boat for the Games by finishing sixth at that year's World Championships and were proud of their second-placed performance in the heats but know that it is the performance in Saturday's repechage which counts.

Scowen, 24, is a member of Dorney Boat Club whose home water is the Paralympic course where she first learned to row, said: "What we did was solid today. The crowd were awesome. I’ve been to two World Championships and two world cups and I’ve never seen a crowd like that."

Her crew-mate, serving Army Captain Nick Beighton, 30, from Shrewsbury, said: “We’re happy enough. It’s a good start and we’ve got a few things to work on. We will go home and recover for tomorrow. We’ve set a good pace and you can only focus on what we are doing."

Beighton was injured in Afghanistan and only came into the sport in 2011 after seeing rowing used in rehabilitation for servicemen and attending a Paralympic talent day through the Battle Back programme.

ParalympicsGB Rowing Team Leader Louise Kingsley said: "There was really good strength in depth in the heats so it was great to see such good performances."

Beighton and Scowen race at 10:50 on Saturday in the repechage against Israel, Brazil, Italy and Belarus and have to be in the top two to qualify.