Aaron Phipps scored 25 tries as Great Britain started the defence of their Paralympics wheelchair rugby title with a statement 58-55 opening victory over world champions Australia on Thursday in Paris.
Phipps was a crucial part of the Tokyo Paralympics success and made vital contributions at the end of the first and second quarters as Britain started their Group B campaign in the sport nicknamed “murderball” strongly.
“It’s an amazing start but nothing’s happened yet,” Phipps said.
“Australia are a class act, we’ve battled with them for years.
“We still have to remember this is the start, so it’s start as you mean to go on.”
Australia are now likely to fight with hosts France and Denmark, who play later on Thursday, for a place in the semifinals.
“GB played unreal,” Australia’s Ryley Batt said.
“The difference was the last goals. Out of the four quarters, you score last goals, Great Britain got three of them, we got one, and Great Britain won by three points,” he added.
Phipps opened the scoring 15 seconds after the tip-off at the Champs de Mars arena, a venue in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower and which will also host para judo.
Britain led 14-13 at the end of the opening eight-minute quarter and held on to a one-point advantage with a 28-27 score at half-time.
With one quarter to play, they were 43-40 up after Phipps had scored his 21st try.
He then helped close out the win for Britain with his final try of the game with less than 30 seconds left.
Two-time Paralympic champion Batt scored 36 tries in a losing effort, while Phipps’ team-mate Stuart Robinson had 23.
“It’s unusual, it’s normally Stu who scores the most,” Phipps said.
“I’m usually the battering ram and Stu has the better hands.
“I’m usually the one to smash people about a bit.”
Phipps, now 41, had his legs and most of his fingers amputated after contracting meningitis C as a teenager in 1999.
Eight years ago he became the first disabled British man to scale Mount Kilimanjaro and is now setting is eyes on back-to-back Paralympic titles.
“They’re so different but I would love to take the two gold medals,” Phipps said.
“Kilimanjaro was a crazy endurance thing.
“This is so intense, such a pressure cooker and you forget that until you get here.”
Three-time former champions the USA started their Paralympics gold medal bid by edging Canada 51-48 in Group A.
Sarah Adams became the first woman to compete in the sport in the Paralympics for the USA, scoring six tries.
The opening day of wheelchair rugby action ends with Japan, runners-up to Australia at the 2022 world championship, playing Germany.