HAMPSHIRE'S Aaron Phipps helped Great Britain claimed a historic first Paralympic medal in wheelchair rugby after storming to gold with a superb 54-49 win over three-time champions the United States.

Spearheaded by 24 tries from Jim Roberts, ParalympicsGB triumphed in Tokyo having led at the end of each quarter.

Wheelchair rugby made its full debut as a medal event at Sydney 2000 after being a demonstration sport at the Atlanta Games four years earlier.

A milestone moment for the country in the mixed gender game came following previous bests of bronze-medal match defeats in 1996, 2004 and 2008.

Jointly captained by Chris Ryan and Gavin Walker, GB had guaranteed a place on the podium on Saturday courtesy of a 55-49 win over hosts Japan.

Top scorer Roberts has consistently performed at the Yoyogi National Stadium over the past five days and once again led the way in Sunday’s showpiece.

Stuart Robinson and Phipps, who is from Totton, chipped in with 14 and 11 scores respectively to keep the scoreboard ticking over and ultimately ensure an unprecedented achievement.

Star man Roberts said: “I’m a big, proud Welshman. I go to watch the rugby games when I can and I’m a huge supporter, but this is Great Britain and this is the combination of all those nations, and it’s something bigger and that’s why I love team sports actually.

“It’s the combination of the sum of its parts. We’re achieving something that’s bigger than anything one of us could achieve on our own.”

Kylie Grimes, the only woman in the squad, said: “I hope I can inspire girls to give it a go.

“Wheelchair rugby is for everybody, for all of us: young girls, young boys, youth, everybody. I’d love more women in my sport. Women can match the men.

“It’s about tactics, skills, using the brain. The men have their testosterone flying around everywhere, the big hits – but it is not always about that.

“If I can get more women involved as well then the more merrier, I would be delighted.”

Phipps lost his legs below the knee and some of his fingers when he contracted meningitis aged 15 as he was finishing secondary school.

In hospital for months and with only a 20 per cent chance of survival, he came back stronger than ever.

Tokyo was his second experience of the Paralympics, having featured at London 2012.

The 38-year-old Solent Sharks player had contracted meningitis when he was 15 and subsequently lost both legs and the tips of his fingers.

In 2016, he climbed Kilimanjaro and over the years he has raised more than £250,000 for the Meningitis Research Foundation.