Australian para-cyclists Paige Greco and Emily Petricola have become the first two gold medalists of the Tokyo Paralympic Games in an incredible first day at the Izu Velodrome.
It was an incredible morning on the track for Australia's cyclists with both riders also coming away with new world records in a fantastic way to start Australia's Paralympic campaign.
Greco was one of the first to hit the track on Wednesday in qualifying for the Women's C1-3 3000m Individual Pursuit.
The 23-year-old is one of the up and coming stars in Para-Cycling and was the reigning world record holder in the C3 class from 2019.
However, she made it clear the Olympics were a different level altogether.
Greco produced a phenomenal qualifying run to take almost eight seconds off her world record with a time of 3:52.283.
The result saw her qualify for the gold final over three seconds faster than her opponent, China's Xiaomei Wang.
In the final, Greco was able to get off to a fast start and held a solid lead over Wang at both the 1000m and 2000m mark.
Then she went up a gear and produced her fastest split of the day to stop the clock at 3:50.815 in another new world record time.
She defeated Wang by over four seconds and claimed the first gold medal up for grabs at the Tokyo Paralympic Games.
GOOOLLLLDD!!
— 7Sport (@7Sport) August 25, 2021
Paige Greco claims our first of the Tokyo Games 🥇
Oh, and another World Record 😉#Tokyo2020 | #Paralympics pic.twitter.com/Db4EfGs4NF
"I'm just so happy, I can't believe it, we did it," an emotional Greco told Channel 7 after the race.
"I can't thank the team, cycling and the coach, their support is just amazing.
"My family and friends, I wouldn't be here without them."
It would be the first of two gold medals in about 15 minutes for Australia after Emily Petricola went on to win the Women's C4 3000m Individual Pursuit.
Petricola also came into the event as the world record holder with her time in Canada in 2020 setting the benchmark.
But all eyes were on 2016 Paralympic champion Americas Shawn Morelli who knew how to get the job done on the biggest stage.
Like Greco before her, Petricola announced herself at the Games by breaking her own world record in qualifying.
She took over six seconds off her time to finish in a time of 3:38.061 and qualify fastest for the gold final where she would take on Morelli.
In the final, it was Morelli who got off to the quicker start but the Australian kept her composure.
By the 1000m mark, Petricola had taken a one-second lead over the American and from that point, never looked like losing.
She eventually lapped Morelli to claim the gold medal, potentially costing her a chance to break her world record, again!
ANOTHER ONE!
— 7Sport (@7Sport) August 25, 2021
Emily Petricola overtakes Shawn Morelli to win gold!@samsungau | #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/X4LqWzq7YX
"I'm honestly so surprised that that just happened," Petricola told Channel 7 after the race.
"I didn't know where she was, I had no idea. "
Petricola also gave a special shoutout to the team that got her into para-cycling, admitting she was in a "dark place" before finding the sport.
"They've changed my life and they saved my life. I was in such a dark place."
— 7Sport (@7Sport) August 25, 2021
We're not crying, you're crying!
Congratulations Emily Petricola 🥇#Tokyo2020 | #Paralympics pic.twitter.com/EmeZq5WcCC
The results mean that Australia sits on top of the Paralympics medal tally with two gold from two events.
𝑨𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆.#Paralympics #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/UZTs4oHKX1
— Lachlan McKirdy (@LMcKirdy7) August 25, 2021