The hug lasted for an entire minute. Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid, after years of effort and no shortage of heartbreak, had earned the reward their partnership has been searching for and so truly deserved: gold medals at the Paralympic Games.
Reid and Hewett have won a staggering 21 grand slam titles since coming together as a wheelchair tennis pair from 2016, but they have always said that the Paralympic title was the one they believed to be the pinnacle of their sport. It had eluded them, however, and defeat in the final in Tokyo three years ago had felt like the end of the road, with Hewett having been told he would subsequently be declassified from the sport.
