Paralympics: Doherty finds will for ninth

A determined Patrice Dockery claimed ninth and a season's best in the T54 5000m final tonight in Athens, having been reinstated following her crash in Sunday's semi-final.

Battered and bruised, the wily Dubliner clocked 12:50.86, showing great will to fend off Australian Christie Dawes by two-hundredths of a second in a sprint for ninth.

Once again a crash marred the proceedings but 33-year-old Dockery was not involved.

Her goal of beating her Irish record of 12:45 looked beyond her as she tired in the final 1000, but an improvement of 17 seconds on her 2004 best will give her hope for Thursday's 1500m semi-finals and the marathon on Sunday.

Japanese athlete Wakako Tscuchida claimed 5000 gold in a new Paralympic record time of 11:59.

Meanwhile Laois discus thrower Gareth Culliton managed to better his previous best of 15.25 in the F52 final as he hit a mark of 15.86 with a brilliant first attempt. The 34-year-old hit 15.37 with another effort and finished fifth overall.

Ireland's seven-a-side Cerebral Palsy footballers brave bid for a Paralympic medal is over, after they came unstuck in a 5-2 defeat against Argentina this afternoon.

Dublin milkman Alan O'Hara equalised at 1-1 with a low drilled shot on 21 minutes, and Cork skipper Finbarr O'Riordan's 57th minute header brought the Irish back within a goal at 3-2 down, but they were the highlights of a tempestuous affair.

Monaghan teenager Joseph Markey also saw red with a minute of normal time remaining, for a second bookable offence. The South Americans also had Mario Sosa dismissed.

Gary Messett, the Irish team's flag bearer at the opening ceremony on Friday and one of the leading lights of Paul Cassin's side, said afterwards: "We tried to get the equaliser and in coming foirward, that's why they got another two goals and we lost the game.

"I’m sure we will do what we have to do and win the next game," added the Bray, Co. Wicklow native.

Cork sailor Feargal Kinsella grabbed fourteenth and fifteenth place finishes in today's 2.4mR class races to remain fifteenth overall.

Seven-a-side football:

Preliminaries: Pool A:

Argentina 5 (M Sosa 13, C Conte 46, 49, C Morinigo 60+2, C Bastias 60+5) Ireland 2 (A O’Hara 21, F O’Riordan 57)

Argentina: G Nahuelquin; C Morinigo, C Cardinal (booked 45), E Jaime, C Conte, M Sosa (booked 19), J Sosa. Subs used: C Bastias for Conte (57), D Pereyra for Jaime (63)

Ireland: P O’Neill; P Dollard (booked 63), J Markey (booked 42), G Messett, F O’Riordan, D Kavanagh, A O’Hara. Sub used: B O’Grady for Kavanagh (51)

Sent off: Argentina: M Sosa (50); Ireland: J Markey (59)

Referee: G Giannopoulos (Greece)

Iran 2 (Khosravani 28, 30) Ukraine 6 (T Dutko 17, 35, 47, Kabanov 19, 47, Antonyuk 38).