They really are the Superhumans: Ukraine swimmer finishes heat well ahead of other backstroke rivals... despite not having any arms

Laroslav Semenenko beat his closest rival by two seconds
Team GB's Jonathan Fox wins gold in the S7 100 metres backstroke race
Britain's Nyree Kindred wins silver behind China's Lu Dong
Doubt over whether Ellie Simmonds' main rival Victoria Arlen can compete
Paralympic GB wins first medal - a silver in the men's C1-2-3 1km time-trial
Cyclist Mark Lee Colbourne bags Paralympic GB's first medal with a silver

PUBLISHED: 10:44, 30 August 2012 | UPDATED: 20:25, 30 August 2012!

Iaroslav Semenenko of Ukraine won the first heat of the men's swimming despite not having any arms

The Paralympic Games got underway today and within one of the first events proved why it is going to be a display of 'superhuman' abilities.

Iaroslav Semenenko, a swimmer from Ukraine, powered to the finish of the first heat of the men's 100m backstroke, well ahead of the other competitors despite not having any arms.

The 25-year-old Paralympian used just his legs to propel himself along the pool and completed the swim more than two seconds ahead of second place swimmer Sebastian Iwanow from Germany.

His achievement came before Great Britain's first Paralympic medal, a silver won by Mark Colbourne this afternoon, in the C1-2-3 one-kilometre time-trial.

At the end of his race, Semenenko swam at full speed into the wall, banging his head on the edge of the pool to hit the timer.

Elsewhere, cyclist Mark Colbourne today bagged Paralympics GB's first medal of the Games - just three years after breaking his back in a horrific paragliding accident.

His breathtaking performance in the velodrome was cheered on by thousands of fans, who watched him get silver in the men's individual 1km Time Trial.

The achievement marks an incredible turnaround, after he was forced into an emergency landing when his paragliding wing collapsed in 2009.

Colbourne, a former professional Welsh volleyball player, broke his back in the fall and underwent five months of gruelling physiotherapy just to learn to walk again.

Mark Lee Colbourne of Great Britain celebrates alongside physio Kirstin Henderson as he moves in to silve! r medal position in the Men's Individual C1-2-3 1km Cycling Time Trial

His silver medal is all the more impressive as he only took up the sport three years ago.

Britain didn't have to wait too long for gold.

Cyclist Sarah Storey landed the top spot on the podium, winning the C5 individual pursuit. She had earlier broken the world record in the event in front of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Velodrome.

And she was followed by 20-year-old swimmer Jonathan Fox, who lived up to his world record holder status, triumphing in the S7 100 metres backstroke race.

Gold: Team GB's Jonathan Fox celebrates with his 100m backstroke medal

Podium finish: Nyree Kindred won silver in the 100m backstroke

In the women's swimming heat, Lu Dong completed her swim with a huge roar from the crowd which lifted the roof off the Aquatics Centre at the Olympic Park in Stratford following her performance.

She also briefly held Paralympic Record with her time of 1.28.18, but in the second heat Nyree Kindred, 31, gave Britain hope for gold when she beat Dong, setting a personal record with 1.27.96.

But the Chinese swimmer stormed to gold in the final, setting a new world record - forcing Kindred to settle ! for silv er.

This afternoon two British competitors qualified for the men's 50m S5 freestyle event.

Anthony Stephens qualified with a time of 35.59 seconds while Andrew Mullen completed the race in 37.4 seconds.

Uncertainty surrounded the start of the women's competition at the Aquatics Centre with double world record holder Victoria Arlen set to learn if she can participate in the London 2012 Paralympic Games after initially being found to be 'non-eligible' for competition by the International Paralympic Committee.

The IPC had received evidence compelling them on Tuesday to assess Arlen, who holds world records for S6 100metres and 400m freestyle, and found she was ineligible for competition.

Semenenko beat his nearest rival by two seconds and came to a halt by crashing his head into the wall

Semenenko is helped into the pool ahead of the men's 100m Backstroke S6 heat

Anthony Stephens qualified in the men's 50m S5 freestyle with a time of 35.59 seconds

The U.S. appealed and the 17-year-old is now set to be reclassified on today's opening day of the swimming programme.

It is a situation that could affect teenager Ellie Sim! monds wh o is in the same S6 classification as the American with the Briton the defending champion over 100m and 400m freestyle.

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An IPC spokesman said: 'She was reclassified on Monday and found non-eligible; she did not meet the eligibility criteria for her chosen sport. She must be reclassified tomorrow morning.'

Arlen, a former junior state champion, returned to swimming last year after a neurological virus called Transverse Myelitis affected her spinal cord in 2006 and left her in a vegetative state for two years, and set the world records at the US trials in June.

Simmonds had last week earmarked Arlen as one who presented a very real threat to the defence of her titles.

Dong Lu of China swam three seconds ahead of her fellow competitors in the 100m backstroke and got into the final

Nyree Kindred beat Dong's Paralympic record time in the second heat of the 100m Backstroke

Simmonds was just 13 when she was flung into the public eye after her tears on the podium in Beijing following her two gold medal-winning performances.

Since then the Walsall-born athlete has won European and world titles and earlier this year made history when she became the first swimmer to break a world record at the Aquatics Centre when she set a new mark in the SM6 200m individual medley in March.

Simmonds said: 'I have learned not to put pressure on myself - not to target (medals) - I am just going to go out and swim the best possible I can because you never know what you are going to wake up to.'

Britain's Ellie Simmonds had said that Arlen was her main rival in the competition

Confusion surrounded whether or not Victoria Arlen would take part in the swimming after she was deemed not to be eligible

Britain's Ellie Simmonds had said that Victoria Arlen was her main rival in the Paralympics

Amy Marren was born a little over two miles from the Olympic Park in Newham and she credits Simmonds as her inspiration.

Competing in the S9 category, Marren - who turned 14 on August 14 - said: 'I got into Paralympic swimming when I watched Ellie win her double gold in Beijing.

'I thought I would really love to do something like that when I get older. I haven't told her to her face (about being inspired by her). I still get starstruck around her.'

There are a number of British medal hopes today at the Aquatics Centre.

Remarkable: Sini Zeng of China competes in the Women's Individual C1-3 Pursuit qualification round today

Top cyclists: Jianping Ruan of China competes in the Women's Individual C4 Pursuit , left, and Fiona Southorn of New Zealand and Greta Neimanas of the United States of America finish in the Women's Individual C5 Pursuit

Susie Rodgers is a relative newcomer to the Paralympic scene but five golds and a silver at last year's European Championships underline her talent and she goes in the S7 100m backstroke.

Stephanie Millward is in the S9 100m butterfly while Hannah Russell is one to watch in the S12 400m freestyle.

Anthony Stephens will look to add to his five Paralympic medals in the S5 50m freestyle.

Pool star: Jessica Long of the United States competes in the Women's 100m Butterfly

True superhuman: Arnulfo Castorena of Mexico competes in the Men's 50m Breaststroke today

Table tennis: Natalia Partyka of Poland serves in a match against Umran Ertis of Turkey during the Preliminary Round of the Women's Singles Table Tennis

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