9 Sep 2016

NZ wins first gold at Rio Paralympics

11:27 am on 9 September 2016

New Zealand has won its first gold medal at the Paralympics in Rio with Anna Grimaldi winning her long jump event.

The Dunedin 18-year-old sat in the minor placings through her first five rounds before recording a distance of 5.62 metres with her last jump in the T47 category.

Anna Grimaldi

Anna Grimaldi Photo: Supplied

It was her third personal best of the day and took her ahead of a Cuban athlete.

New Zealand last won a medal in a Paralympic field events for women in 1988 when Leslie Mancktelow picked up a bronze in the Long Jump B3.

Today's win is New Zealand's first Para-athletic medal since 2004 when Peter Martin won two golds and a bronze medal at the Athens Games in 2004.