STEPHEN MILLER always said he wanted to go out in style - and he achieved that ambition in Rio.

Twenty years after he made his Paralympic Games debut in Atlanta, the 36-year old admitted he was ‘an emotional mess’ after his F32 club throw bronze at the Olympic Stadium.

Miller, who is from Cramlington, once dominated his sport, going unbeaten for nine years as he won gold as a teenager in 1996, a title he then defended in Sydney and Athens.

In Beijing he settled for silver and four years ago in London, when he captained the ParalympicsGB track and field team, finished a distant 11th.

But he never stopped believing he could return to the Paralympic podium.

“I’m so emotional, I know on paper it looks like an easy medal because some of the athletes didn’t show but I had to work really hard for this,” said Miller, whose status as arguably the team’s most popular member brought his team-mates out in force to cheer him on. 

“I don’t know about Tokyo, I’m certainly not getting any younger and the standard of the rest of the world is improving so much. 

“But if this is my last Paralympics then to go out on the podium means the absolute world to me.

“It’s just a great feeling to get back in the medals after all these years, I’m sure there were a few people that doubted it but I never did.

“I’ve had a very tough week and I didn’t know whether I’d be able to compete a few days ago, so to throw a season’s best means so much.”

Miller - who delayed an operation on his hip to compete in London - hasn’t won a world medal in five years but never lost the faith.

He was also delighted to share the experience with mum and coach Ros. He’d never competed at the Games without her alongside him but finances looked destined to keep her at home until the intervention of Sir John Hall, the former Newcastle United owner, and an ice cream shop in Blyth.

“My coach and mum has always been by me and she’s never stopped believing that I could do this," he added.

“It means so much to have her with me and to be able to share this.

“Four or five days ago I didn’t feel great and I couldn’t even stand up straight but I never give up and I was never going to pull out because the Paralympics means absolutely everything to me.”

Elsewhere at the Olympic Stadium, Hollie Arnold and Georgina Hermitage kept their cool in searing temperatures during the opening session to claim Paralympic athletics gold with world records.

Hermitage, 27, stormed to her second gold and a second world record with a dominant 400m T37 victory, her 1:00.54 time leaving everyone else fighting for silver.

And F46 javelin thrower Arnold unleashed a 43.01 metre best to beat her nearest rivals by nearly two meters.

“This is my preferred event and I knew there was lots of expectation on me, so to win it under that pressure feels amazing,” said Hermitage, who also won 100m gold and will now look for a hat-trick in the 4x100m relay.

“My feet feel like they are on fire, it’s sweltering but heat works well for me because it really relaxes my muscle.

“Everything is for my daughter Tilly. I want her to know that you can do anything if you set your mind to it.” 

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