2024 SUMMER PARALYMPIC GAMES
- August 28 – September 8, 2024
- Swimming: August 29 – September 7, 2024
- La Défense Arena – Paris, France
- LCM (50 meters)
- Meet Central
- Full Schedule
- How To Watch
- Finals Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5
It’s day six of prelims at the 2024 Paralympic Games; we’re over halfway through the meet and the fast swims keep coming. 28x Paralympic medallist Teresa Perales took down the 12-year-old Paralympic record in the women’s 100 freestyle S2 during the S3 classification’s heats. Swimming up a classification, Perales qualified sixth for finals with a 2:05.53, torching Iryna Sotska’s record from 2012 by 25.32 seconds. She joins a final that includes top qualifier Leanne Smith, the Tokyo silver medallist, and Rachel Watson, who broke the Oceanian record in 1:37.84 to qualify third overall.
Olivia Chambers and Carlotta Gilli qualified first and second for the women’s 200 IM SM13, setting up an exciting showdown. Both are already gold medallists in Paris, with Chambers winning the 400 freestyle S13 and Gilli winning the 100 butterfly S13. Chambers has continued to build momentum in Paris after her international debut last summer and is the top qualifier by 1.17 seconds (2:27.72). But Gilli is the defending Paralympic champion, the reigning world champion, and the world record holder and has surely saved something for the final.
Four men are within a second of each other after prelims of the men’s 50 butterfly. Tokyo bronze medallist Nelson Crispin Corzo leads the way with a 31.50. He’s followed closely by defending champion Wang Jingang (32.02), France’s Laurent Chardard (32.15), and Paris double gold-medallist Yang Hong (32.48).
China set themselves up well in prelims to catch Great Britain in the medal table, taking the top seed in three events. Tokyo gold medallist Jiang Yuyan took the top seed as she aims to defend her title in the women’s 50 butterfly S6 (36.51) and Lu Dong looks to do the same in the women’s 50 backstroke S5 (39.48). After winning relay golds in Tokyo and Paris, Yuan Weiyi has his sights set on his first individual Paralympic gold in the men’s 50 backstroke S5.
Ugo Didier won his first Paralympic gold medal in front of a roaring home nation crowd during the first session of these Games. He’s back up in the men’s 100 backstroke S9, where he’s the second seed between Tokyo silver and bronze medallists Yahor Shchalkanau and Timothy Hodge. Defending gold medallist Bogdan Mozgovoi is in the field, as are Jesse Reynolds and the 2023 world champion Simone Barlaam.
Haidee Viviana Aceves Perez and Kat Swanepoel broke the two other continental records that went down during prelims. Aceves Perez set a new Americas record in the women’s 100 freestyle S2 in 2:31.37 and Swanepoel swam a new African record in the women’s 50 backstroke S5 with a 49.63.
Other Top Seeds For Day 6 Finals
- Women’s 100 Backstroke S9: Christie Raleigh-Crossley, United States — 1:10.28
- Men’s 200 IM SM13: Ihar Boki, Neutral Paralympic Athletes — 2:10.55
- Men’s 100 Backstroke S7: Yurii Shenhur, Ukraine — 1:09.32
- Women’s 200 IM SM11: Liesette Bruinsma, Netherlands — 2:45.06
- Men’s 100 Butterfly S10: Ihor Nimchenko, Ukraine — 57.52
- Women’s 100 Butterfly S10: Faye Rogers, Great Britain — 1:05.92
- Men’s 200 Freestyle S4: Ami Omer Dadaon, Israel — 2:52.30