Alfie Hewett finally got his hands on a Paralympic gold medal and made history to boot as he and Gordon Reid became the first men’s wheelchair doubles partnership to complete the career ‘Golden Slam’ on Friday.
The British duo had twice lost in the Paralympic final but this time they made no mistake in front of a packed Philippe-Chatrier court at Roland Garros, thrashing Japanese pair Takuya Miki and Tokito Oda 6-2, 6-1.
Hewett and Reid have won an astonishing 21 Grand Slams, but the one they wanted was the Paralympic title — meaning they have now completed a ‘Golden Slam’ by winning the four Slams and the Paralympic gold
Hewett and Reid engaged in a long hug on the red clay, with the former saying “it was the stuff of dreams” and the latter that “it was up there with our best wins.”
For Hewett it is especially sweet not just in securing the elusive Paralympic title — he lost in both finals in Rio and in the doubles in Tokyo — but because he was told at one point he would no longer be qualified to play.