Crashes, history-makers and emotional wins - memorable Paralympic moments

The Paralympic movement has had its share of memorable moments since the first Games in 1960.

The postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Games until 2021 means we will have to wait for more iconic moments like Jonnie Peacock silencing the crowd at London 2012.

But there are many moments which have gone under the radar, or have been forgotten over time.

Here, BBC Sport contributors take a very personal look at some which made a big impact on them.

By Baroness Tanni-Grey Thompson, 11-time Paralympic champion

The 1992 Barcelona Games were a watershed for many reasons. It was the first time that there was solid television coverage, and crowds were great, thanks to good weather and reasonably-priced tickets.

On a rare day off I was meant to spend time with my family but after hearing me talking about nothing but the wheelchair racing, my sister relented and suggested we go back to the track to watch the men's 5,000m along with most of my GB wheelchair racing team-mates.

The race had everything you could want in terms of tactics, but with a couple of laps to go, Heinz Frei made the decision to break.

There was little response from the pack who thought they could reel him back in, but it quickly became clear he was away and the race became a sprinter's dream.

Going into the final lap, a mistimed compensator change (how the chair is guided around the bend) resulted in a major crash as the athletes in the pack piled into each other.

Pictures are not easy to find. One has Canada's Marc Quessy being forced into the path of compatriot Andre Viger, and Switzerland's Franz Nietlispach about to topple out of his chair. The look on his face says that he knows it is going to happen.

Identifying athletes among the tangled pile of chairs as they smashed across the track would be a commentator's nightmare. Officials dashed on to the track, trying to move the debris, picking up frames and tossing them on to the infield and helping the stricken athletes.

The race then became who could get back into their chair to continue. At least one carbon front wheel collapsed and two German athletes raced the relay qualifiers later that night with packing tape holding their chairs together.

Amazingly there were no serious injuries. Germany's Markus Pilz who was at the front of the pack, escaped the chaos behind and tried to chase Frei. Italy's Enzo Masiello, who had been dropped earlier, managed to skirt around the pack, avoid the crash, and challenge Viger for bronze.

But as we watched what seemed to be the 1-2-3, we realised that Frei was sprinting head down, sure that the pack was chasing him, and he only looked up just in time to ensure he didn't plough into the back of the carnage. This was before helmets were compulsory and this race contributed to the rule change.

We were sitting close to the BBC crew and I remember going straight to presenter Helen Rollason to ask if there any way we could get a copy of the race.

There were a few people who weren't sure that they should show disabled people crashing but I said if this were a cycling race then it would be all over the news, and Helen agreed.

It made that day's coverage and also the Christmas highlights package. To me it showed that this was just amazing racing that had as much drama as any sport.

Although many people may not remember it now, it made a massive contribution to the change in attitude that later generations would be able to build on.

By Kate Grey, Beijing Paralympian and BBC Sport reporter

At Beijing 2008, Liz Johnson became a Paralympic champion. It was the highlight of her career but was tinged with huge sadness.

What many people might not know is that while Liz, along with the rest of the British Para-swimming team, myself included, was flying to Beijing, her mum Bonnie passed away from cervical cancer.

Liz and her mum were like best friends, so alike in their mannerisms and outlook on life. Liz was born with cerebral palsy and at the age of three, Bonnie got her into swimming. Always her biggest supporter, she was so proud of everything her daughter achieved.

So when Bonnie's cancer became terminal in 2007, Liz, who was studying at Swansea University, split her time between Newport to care for her mum and continue training full time in Swansea.

Bonnie had made a pact with Liz that if she died while Liz was in Beijing then she had to stay and compete. Its almost like Bonnie had planned it.

Liz received the sad news just as we arrived at the athlete's village, a moment that was supposed to be filled with excitement and anticipation. Instead she was faced with the agonising decision over whether to stay and compete or fly home.

Once she found out that the funeral could be put on hold, she chose to stay, partly for Britain but mainly for her mum.

The next 11 days were a rollercoaster of emotions. Liz's dad, sister and best friend made it out to Beijing to support her. In the athletes' village we were living in the same apartment and us girls did our best to keep Liz distracted and spirits high. This meant watching a lot of episodes of 'Sex and the City'.

I struggle to remember my own races in Beijing, but I do remember Liz's. We all held our breath for the final of the SB6 100m breaststroke. Liz had won silver in this event in Athens 2004 and was the favourite for gold this time round. Could she hold it together?

Liz had always struggled with over-thinking before a race, but this time she felt like her head was clearer than ever. The pressure of winning felt insignificant after what she had been through.

It was a close race from start to finish - I've never screamed so loud for a team-mate - and when Liz touched the wall and the result was confirmed, we all shed a tear, knowing that the one person that should have been there to witness their daughter's greatest achievement wasn't.

Liz never got the chance to properly grieve in Beijing, ever the professional, head down and get the job done, just like her mum taught her. But in the years that followed, Bonnie has never left her thoughts, guiding her through the next phase of life.

It's 12 years since Bonnie's death and Liz, now retired from swimming, is trailblazing a career supporting disability, equality and inclusion in the workplace and I'm lucky to still call her my friend.

Paralympians aren't always comfortable with words like 'brave' and 'courageous' but the strength and courage which Liz showed in Beijing was an inspiration to me and the rest of the team.

By Elizabeth Hudson, BBC Sport reporter

It's hard to imagine now, but there was a time when track cycling was not one of Britain's most successful Paralympic sports.

Going into the 2004 Athens Paralympics, GB had never won a gold medal in the sport. Sarah Bailey (as she was then) and Jody Cundy were still swimmers and Kadeena Cox was a sport-loving 13-year-old dreaming of the Olympics.

But in the Greek capital, it was tandem pair Aileen McGlynn and Ellen Hunter as well as Darren Kenny who helped kick-start the revolution.

After the success of the Sydney Paralympics, the Athens Games were a disappointment.

Ticket sales were poor, venues were already showing signs of wear and tear and media coverage was limited.

On the opening day of competition, I headed to the Olympic velodrome for my first experience of Paralympic Games competition. There was no point in following the crowds - there were none - and I entered a venue that was easily less than a quarter full.

In the middle, the riders were busily doing their warm-ups - among them McGlynn and her sighted pilot Hunter before their 1km time trial event.

Just a few weeks earlier, McGlynn, a 31-year-old visually impaired trainee actuary who started cycling aged eight, had proudly watched on TV as her fellow Scot Chris Hoy won his first Olympic gold in the kilo at the same venue, cheered on by thousands.

Now, there were large swathes of empty seats around the track with a small but vociferous group of GB supporters, mainly friends and family, trying to make their presence felt.

Even getting to the Games had been an achievement for the pair. Hunter broke her back in a cycling accident the year before and was told she would never ride again. Athens was the first time they had raced internationally.

Wearing the same silver helmets worn by the likes of Hoy, the British pair clocked one minute 11.160 seconds, smashing the old world record and setting a tough benchmark.

They sat with male tandem pair Ian Sharpe and Paul Hunter (Ellen's husband) in the middle of the velodrome, watching their rivals, a medal getting ever closer.

With at least bronze secured, it was the turn of the leading two pairs. First the Australians tried and failed and then the Americans took to the track and fell short by 0.061secs.

McGlynn and Hunter jumped for joy. They had created history. The first British cyclists to win Paralympic gold, the first British women to win a cycling medal of any colour and the first Britons to win gold at Athens 2004.

They stood on the podium, olive wreaths on their heads, gold medals around their necks, still slightly stunned at what they had achieved.

Life changed dramatically for McGlynn after that day in Athens. She became a full-time athlete and she and Hunter went on to dominate the division, winning world titles and double gold in Beijing before McGlynn paired up with Helen Scott at London 2012 for more medals.

But Athens will always be the place where British Para-cycling took a huge step forward. The golds led to increased funding and enabled Storey, Cundy, Cox and the rest of the GB Para-cycling team to shine on the big stage.