VERWOOD'S Darren Kenny missed out on another gold medal by just five seconds on Monday (September 27).

The 34-year-old Bournemouth Arrow club cyclist, a double gold medallist on the track earlier in the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games, had to settle for silver in the CP3 combined road race and time trial.

Spaniard Javier Otxoa won the road race element of the event by 35 seconds on Friday.

Kenny took the time trial by 30 seconds yesterday - but couldn't wipe out the final five seconds that handed the Spaniard gold.

"I thought I still had a chance to make gold today," said Kenny. "I gave it everything I had and more, but five seconds won gold for him."

Kenny said he was delighted with his haul of medals at Athens 2004.

"It's been special," he added. "I came here to win medals, but the standards have been quite incredible."

But double tandem bronze medallists Ian Sharpe and Paul Hunter missed out on another medal in the combined B1-3 tandem road race and time trial. They finished eighth in the time trial element, having finished 16th in the road race, to secure 13th overall. Athens Paralympics organisers have cancelled the artistic part of today's closing ceremony as a mark of respect following the tragic deaths of seven Greek schoolchildren in a road accident.

The ceremony will now only entail the protocol segments such as the parade of athletes, the speech by International Paralympic Committee president Phil Craven and the handover of the Paralympic flag to the Beijing organising committee.