“I felt great, I went out there and just threw, it just felt right,” said Leon. “I had a couple of fouls, but after that, I took some deep breaths and went back after it. I’m really pleased with my performance. I won’t lie, though, I definitely had some butterflies out there.”

The women’s T52/53 200m, the second event of the day, led to - you guessed it - the second medal of the day. Wheelchair racer Anjali Forber-Pratt (Urbana, Ill.) won gold with a final time of 34.59. She was followed by teammate Maggie Redden (State College, Pa.) with a time of 35.00 for the silver. They both shared their thoughts on their wins.

“It was very exciting since this is my first really big international race, so I wasn’t sure what to expect,” said Forber-Pratt. “I definitely consider my finish a strong feat all the way around.”

Redden said, “This was my fastest race to-date. It’s my first big international meet, and I trained really hard. I came here to give it my all and that’s what I did. It was just so exciting out there.”

Teammates Mallerie Badgett (Oxford, Ala.) and Cheryl Leitner (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) also raced in the women’s 200m, finishing in fifth (44.55) and sixth (47.21), respectively.

In the women’s combined class (F33/34/52/53) javelin event, U.S. team member Robyn Stawski (F33) finished in fourth, with a best throw of 9.19 and 678 points.

The second gold medal of the day was awarded to three-time Paralympian Scott Danberg (Cooper City, Fla.), who threw a personal best of 10.07m in the men’s combined class (F40/42/44), shot put event, finishing with 1,011 points.

“This has been a great season for me,” said Danberg. “It really is due to training hard and all of the support from U.S. Paralympics and Coach Carla Garrett. From the level I was competing at in Athens to where I am now, the difference is just amazing, but there’s still room for improvement.”

U.S. teammate and relative newcomer to the sport, Matt Brown (Idalou, Texas) will also be taking some hardware home, as he wrapped-up third place in the men’s combined class shot put for the bronze with a throw of 11.83m and 880 points.

“I haven’t had a coach all season, but as soon as I arrived, Coach Garrett started helping me tweak things, and I’m really happy with my results,” said Brown. “I know I need to change some things… fine-tune my performance. As an athlete, I’m continually looking to improve.”

Two-time Paralympian Edwin Cockrell (New Athens, Ill.) and Jeremy Campbell (Chula Vista, Calif./Perryton, Texas) finished the men’s combined class shot put event in fourth (13.73, 857 pts.) and fifth (12.43m, 776 pts.) places, respectively.

Two-time Paralympian Jill Kennedy (Palmyra, Va.) came in first in the women’s combined class (F20/42/44/46) discus trial event (no medals awarded in trial events) with a throw of 19.22m.

In semifinal action, the following athletes advance to finals in their event(s) tomorrow:

Erik Hightower (Glendale, Ariz.) – 200m (T54)
Donald Kosakowski (Oxford, Ct.) – 100m (T46)
Josiah Jamison (Chula Vista, Calif./Vance, S.C.) – 200m (T12)
Tommy Chasanoff (Bradenton, Fla.) – 200m (T36-38)
Troy Davis (Queen Creek, Ariz.), Doug Forbis (Champaign, Ill.) and Austin Snyder (Tucson, Ariz.) all advance to finals in the men’s 100m (T52/53)

NOTE: Some field events include athletes from several classes, referred to as combined classes, in order to ensure a large enough field of competition. Winners are determined based on the athletes’ results in comparison to historical standards for each class at international competitions.

For more information, please contact Beth Bourgeois, U.S. Paralympics, at 011 5521 8890-3141 (international cellphone) or beth.bourgeois@usoc.org.

About U.S. Paralympics:
U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee, is dedicated to becoming the world leader in the Paralympic movement and to promoting excellence in the lives of persons with physical disabilities. Visit the U.S. Paralympics Web site at www.usparalympics.org.