BEIJING, Sept 7: Britain took an early lead in the Paralympics medal table on Sunday as Olympian Natalie du Toit won the 100m butterfly heats on the first day of competition.

South Africa’s Du Toit, who finished 16th in the Olympics women’s 10 kilometres swim, said: “I’m really happy for a morning swim. I don’t think I had the best stroke but I warmed up very early this morning and then swam an hour after I was supposed to. Hopefully I will be ready for the final tonight.”

“This is a very fast pool. I don’t often sprint but it feels very good.” Du Toit, who timed 1min 7.08sec, just missed out on qualifying for the 2000 Sydney Olympics at the age of 16 but in 2001 she lost her left leg in a road accident in Cape Town.

In the Athens Paralympics she won five golds and a silver.

Elsewhere Britain picked up where they left off in the Olympic cycling, grabbing three track golds to head the medals table ahead of Australia.

Darren Kenny knocked almost six seconds off his own world record in the qualifying round of the men’s individual pursuit before going on to take gold.

The athletics programme starts on Monday, with much attention focused on South Africa’s double amputee track sensation Oscar Pistorius –– dubbed “Blade Runner” due to the carbon fibre blades with which he has won a host of titles.

Pistorius has set his sights on a clean sweep in the sprints and is also eyeing the 400m world record.

More than 4,000 competitors from nearly 150 countries and regions are battling for 472 gold medals in 20 sports at the eye-catching venues used for last month’s Olympics such as the “Bird’s Nest” and the Water Cube.

Host China, which topped the medals table at the 2004 Athens Paralympics with 63 golds ahead of Britain and Canada, is widely expected to dominate again –– and even more comprehensively than at last month’s Olympics.

The 20 sports at the Paralympics, which ends on September 17, include athletics, swimming, powerlifting, wheelchair fencing and five-a-side and seven-a-side football, as well as the lesser-known goalball and boccia.

China, eager to showcase the progress it has made in catering for the disabled, has adopted the motto “Two Games with Equal Splendour,” for the Games, comparing them to the Olympics.

Like the Olympics, the Paralympics have not been free of scandal and there will again be a focus in Beijing to stamp out any cheating.—AFP