2024 Paralympics: Italian Simone Barlaam Throws Down Men’s S9 50 Free WR to Lead Day 5 Finals

• World Record: Mark Malyar (ISR) – 4:31.06
• Paralympic Record: Mark Malyar (ISR) – 4:31.06

1. Federico Bicelli (Italy) – Gold – 4:38.79
2. Andrii Trusov (Ukraine) – Silver – 4:40.17
3. Inaki Basiloff (Argentina) – Bronze – 4:40.27

Italian Frederico Bicelli threw together a solid performance, sticking with the pack until the final 100m of the race before pulling away to a gold medal-worthy time of 4:38.79. Ukraine’s Andrii Trusov and Argentina’s Inaki Basiloff flipped almost identically at the final turn and then raced each other down the stretch. Coming into the wall, it was Trusov who touched first, coming into the wall with a silver medal worthy time of 4:40.17. Basiloff finished a narrow third place with a 4:40.27.

Women’s 400m Freestyle – S7 Final

• World Record: Morgan Stickney (USA) – 4:51.50
• Paralympic Record: Morgan Stickney (USA) – 4:56.69

1. Morgan Stickney (USA) – Gold – 4:53.88 (PR)
2. McKenzie Coan (USA) – Silver – 5:10.43
3. Giulia Terzi (Italy) – Bronze – 5:12.61

Though she was slightly off of her World Record performance from earlier this year, Morgan Stickney was dominant over the field, breaking her own Paralympic Record of 4:56.69 from prelims en route to winning the gold. Stickney won the race by 17 seconds, leading a 1-2 charge for the USA with McKenzie Coan coming in second with a time of 5:10.43. Italian Giulia Terzi‘s picked up the bronze medal for her country, coming in behind Coan with a 5:12.61.

Men’s 50m Freestyle – S9 Final

• World Record: Simone Barlaam (ITA) – 23.96
• Paralympic Record: Simone Barlaam (ITA) – 24.24

1. Simone Barlaam (Italy) – Gold – 23.90 (WR)
2. Denis Tarasov (NPA) – Silver – 25.15
3. Fredrik Solberg (Norway) – Bronze – 25.33

Italian Simone Barlaam was dominant over the field, winning the Men’s S9 50 freestyle by over a second en route to breaking his own World Record in the event. Barlaam posted a time of 23.90, knocking .06 off of his previous World Record of 23.96, also taking a few tenths off of his own Paralympic Record. Representing the Neutral Paralympic Athletes, Denis Tarasov finished 2nd in the race, swimming a time of 25.15 for silver.

Men’s 50m Backstroke – S3 Final

• World Record: Byeong-Eon Min (KOR) – 42.21
• Paralympic Record: Byeong-Eon Min (KOR) – 42.21

1. Denys Ostapchenko (Ukraine) – Gold – 45.16
2. Josia Tim Alexander Topf (Germany) – Silver – 47.06
3. Serhii Palamarchuk (Ukraine) – Bronze -50.48

Ukraine’s Denya Ostapchenko and Serhii Palamarchuk came into the wall with a 1-3 finish for the country with Ostapchenko winning the gold in a time of 45.16 and Palamarchuk claiming bronze in 50.48. Sandwiched between then, German Josia Tim Alexander Topf posted a time of 47.06 for the silver.

Australian Ahmed Kelly finished 8th in the event but fired off a new Oceania Record of 54.96 in the process.

Women’s 50m Backstroke – S3 Final

• World Record: Peng Qiuping (CHN) – 48.49
• Paralympic Record: Peng Qiuping (CHN) – 48.49

1. Ellie Challis (Great Britain) – Gold – 53.56
2. Zoia Shchurova (NPA) – Silver – 58.36
3. Marta Fernandez Infante (Spain) – Bronze – 1:00.46

Great Britain’s Ellie Challis dropped a gold medal-worthy time of 53.56 to win the S3 50 backstroke by almost 5 seconds. Challis led the field from start-to-finish, with runner-up Zoia Shchurova coming into the wall second in a time of 58.36. Spain’s Marta Fernandez Infante had a great race as well, touching in 1:00.46 to win the bronze.

Men’s 100m Breaststroke – SB14 Final

• World Record: Naohide Yamaguchi (JPN) – 1:02.75
• Paralympic Record: Naohide Yamaguchi (JPN) – 1:03.77

1. Nicholas Bennett (Canada) – Gold – 1:03.98
2. Jake Michel (Australia) – Silver – 1:04.27 (OC)
3. Naohide Yamaguchi (Japan) – Bronze – 1:04.94

Canadian Nicholas Bennett threw down a time of 1:03.98 to lead the men’s SB14 100m breaststroke by a half-second. Behind him Australian Jake Michel posted a new Oceania Record in route to a runner-up finish, swimming a 1:04.27.

Women’s 100m Breaststroke – SB14 Final

• World Record: Michelle Alsonso Morales (ESP) – 1:12.02
• Paralympic Record: Michelle Alsonso Morales (ESP) – 1:12.02

1. Louise Fiddes (Great Britain) – Gold – 1:15.47
2. Debora Borges Carneiro (Brazil) – Silver – 1:16.02
3. Beatriz Borges Carneiro (Brazil) – Bronze – 1:16.46

Great Britain’s Louise Fiddes threw down a fantastic performance to upset the Brazilian duo of Debora Borges Carneiro and Beatriz Borges Carneiro, taking the gold in a time of 1:15.47. Both Carnerio sisters finished almost identical to their prelims times, posting times of 1:16.02 and 1:16.46, with both making the podium as the silver and bronze medalists.

Men’s 50m Freestyle – S13 Final

• World Record: Ihar Boki (BLR) – 23.20
• Paralympic Record: Ihar Boki (BLR) – 23.21

1. Ihar Boki (NPA) – Gold – 23.65
2. Illia Yaremenko (Ukraine) – Silver – 23.77
3. Oleksii Virchenko (Ukraine) – Bronze – 23.85

World Record holder Ihar Boki managed to hold-off a quick field in the men’s S13 50m freestyle, winning the gold medal with a 23.65. Boki only touched a few hundreths of a second ahead of silver medalist Illia Yaremenko from Ukraine (23.77). Yaremenko’s teammate Oleksii Virchenko threw down a 23.85 for the bronze.

Women’s 50m Freestyle – S13 Final

• S12 World Record: Maria Carolina Gomes Santiago (BRA) – 26.61
• S12 Paralympic Record: Maria Carolina Gomes Santiago (BRA) – 26.71
• S13 World Record: Katja Dedekind (AUS) – 26.56
• S13 Paralympic Record: Anna Krivshina (NPA) – 27.06

1. Maria Carolina Gomes Santiago (Brazil) – Gold – 26.75
2. Gia Pergolini (USA) – Silver – 27.51
3. Carlotta Gilli (Italy) – Bronze – 27.60

Men’s 100m Breaststroke – SB4 Final

• World Record: Dmitrii Cherniaev (RUS) – 1:31.96
• Paralympic Record: Dmitrii Cherniaev (RUS) – 1:31.96

1. Dmitrii Cherniaev (NPA) – Gold – 1:32.20
2. Antonios Tsapatakis (Greece) – Silver – 1:36.16
3. Manuel Mateo Bortuzzo (Italy) – Bronze – 1:42.52

World Record holder Dmitrii Cherniaev nearly matched his own World and Paralympic Record of 1:31.96, but fell just short with a final time of 1:32.20. However, he still won the gold medal by nearly 4 seconds ahead of Greece’s Antonios Tsapatakis (1:36.16). Italian Manuel Mateo Bortuzzo finished third to win the bronze medal, hitting the wall in a time of 1:42.52.

Women’s 100m Breaststroke – SB4 Final

• World Record: Sarah Louise Rung (NOR) – 1:43.87
• Paralympic Record: Natalia Ziani (UKR) – 1:43.99

1. Giulia Ghiretti (Italy) – Gold – 1:50.21
2. Fanni Illes (Hungary) – Silver – 1:50.25
3. JiaoCheng (China) – Bronze – 1:51.70

Italy picked up another medal with Giulia Ghiretti dropping a time of 1:50.21 to narrowly edge Hungarian Fanni Illes for the gold. At the touch, Illes fell to the silver medal, coming in .04 behind Ghiretti, but still finished well ahead of bronze medal winner Jiao Cheng of China (1:51.70).

Men’s 200m Freestyle – S2 Final

• World Record: Liu Benying (CHN) – 3:41.54
• Paralympic Record: Liu Benying (CHN) – 3:41.54

1. Gabriel Geraldo dos Santos Araujo (Brazil) – Gold – 3:58.92 (AM)
2. Vladimir Danilenko (NPA) – Silver – 4:14.16
3. Alberto Caroly Abarza Diaz (Chile) – Bronze – 4:22.18

Continuing a strong meet, Brazil’s Gabriel Geraldo dos Santos Araujo won his third gold medal by dominating the men’s S2 200m freestyle. Araujo led the race by over 15 seconds, touching in a new Americas Record of 3:58.92. He previously won the S2 50m and 100m backstroke events as well.

Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay – 34 Points Final

• World Record: Netherlands – 4:26.54
• Paralympic Record: 4:28.77 (Standard)

1. Australia – Gold – 4:27.08 (PR)
2. Netherlands – Silver – 4:28.07
3. Spain – Bronze – 4:29.39