A GLASGOW cyclist today won Scotland's first medal at the London Paralympic Games.

Former Evening Time Sportswoman Of The Year Aileen McGlynn clinched silver in the women's blind and visually impaired time-trial.

McGlynn, 39, from Crookston and sighted pilot Helen Scott had to settle for silver at velodrome as Australia won gold. They missed out on gold by just half a second.

McGlynn and Scott clocked 1min 09.469 seconds, but Australia's Felicity Johnson and Stephanie Morton, who were last on the track, stole victory by 0.550secs in a Paralympic record of 1min 08.919secs.

It was the first time McGlynn has tasted Paralympic defeat in the event after the 39-year-old from Glasgow won gold in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008 with Ellen Hunter as pilot.

New Zealand's Phillipa Gray and Laura Thompson claimed bronze in 1:11.245, with Britain's Lora Turnham and Fiona Duncan fourth in 1:11.479.

Today's achievemnet came after world-beaters Sarah Storey and Jonathan Fox had led the gold medal charge for Paralympics GB on a dramatic first day of the Games.

Cyclist Storey powered through her event by smashing her own world record in the heats before storming to victory in front of a frenzied crowd in the Velodrome.

Fox, who also set a new world record in his qualifier, won Great Britain's first swimming gold at the Aquatics Centre.

The pair were the stand-out performers on a successful first day of action, which also saw British athletes win three silvers and two bronze medals.

Storey's victory is remarkable because she started her career in the pool before switching to the track.

The 34-year-old, from Manchester, now has eight Paralympic titles and 19 medals in total since making her debut in the Barcelona Games in 1992.

Storey, who was born with a partly formed left hand, said: "I always thought that if I could get off to a great start it would set up the week and hopefully that's the case. To get the gold is a dream come true."

Fox, 21, who was born in Cornwall and trains in Manchester and who has cerebral palsy, led from the start.

He said: "It was really amazing. When you touch the wall the crowd just roars."

Britain's first medal of the Games was won by Mark Colbourne, who completed a dramatic turnaround after fighting back from a horrific paraglider accident just three years ago.

The 42-year-old broke his back in the incident in May 2009 and required five months of physiotherapy just to get back on his feet. He won silver in the Velodrome in the 1 km Time Trial, less than an hour before Storey's gold.

Colbourne's mother, Margaret, 70 – who watched alongside his 18-year-old daughter Jessica – fought back tears as she spoke of her son's achievement.

She said: "I can't tell you how I feel, I'm just so very proud of him. I only wish his dad could have been here with him."

She added: "It's been incredible – we've just had such great support from everyone."

Also in the pool, Nyree Kindred took silver in the 100m backstroke.

Partially-sighted Ben Quilter overcame the odds to win a bronze medal in the -60kg Judo.

The 30-year-old revealed after the event that he had torn his cruciate ligaments just seven weeks before the Games.

Swimmer Hannah Russell, 16, who has achondr-oplasia, a form of dwarfism, narrowly lost out in a superb duel with Oxana Savchenko as she won silver in the 400m freestyle, while Zoe Newson, right, won bronze in the -40kg Women's Powerlifting.

Andrew Mullen, 15, from Newton Mearns, reached the final of the men's 50m freestyle, finishing eighth in qualifying.

Viewing figures released by Channel 4 for the opening ceremony on Wednesday showed a peak audience of 11.2 million – the broadcaster's biggest in a decade and four times that of the opening in Beijing four years ago.