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Record numbers turn out for superhero sports day

PA Media Clare Balding, a woman with short blonde hair, and Adam Hills a man with grey hair, hold up pink signs which read "kapow!" and "we're superheroes"PA Media
Broadcaster Claire Balding and comedian Adam Hills were spotted at the inclusive event

A superhero-themed sports day dedicated to people with disabilities has seen a record number of participants.

About 3,300 people took part in different sporting challenges at the Superhero Tri event near Windsor, Berkshire, on Saturday.

Adults and children with disabilities donned superhero outfits and swam and cycled at Dorney Lake.

Backed by Marvel, the event is in its eighth year.

Google A lake with a large building at the end of it. There is grass surrounding it. On the water there are four yellow floating jetties.Google
Dorney Lake was used as the rowing venue in the London 2012 Paralympic Games

Famous faces at the event included comedian and presenter Adam Hills and Paralympic equestrian gold medallist Sophie Christiansen.

They took part in the Celebrity Superhero Tri as captains, competing against some of those at the event.

Jenni and Steve went along with their 12-year-old daughter Eve, who has a rare chromosome condition called 3p25 deletion syndrome.

Jenni, from Dorking, Surrey, said their world had "collapsed" when they were given the diagnosis, which resulted in Eve being non-verbal and experiencing intellectual difficulties.

"We were told it was possibly unlikely Eve would walk and here we are today, about to walk a kilometre," she said.

PA Media A woman wearing a blue t-shirt, standing next to a man wearing sunglasses who is holding a young girl, wearing a pink t-shirt. There is a lake behind them.PA Media
Eve wore a pink Captain Marvel T-shirt, with her nickname "tiny tornado" on the back

Clare Balding was covering the event at Dorney Lake for a highlights programme, which will air on Channel 4 in September.

She said: "I think everybody is empowered by both the Olympics just gone and the Paralympics coming up but this isn't about elite sport - this is about participation.

"When you remove the barriers to people who have felt excluded from sport and you say, no, you can come, you can make this work, honestly, the outcome is beyond your wildest dreams.

"It's such an impressive event."

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