Five World and Eleven Paralympic Records Down on Penultimate Day in Tokyo

2020 TOKYO SUMMER PARALYMPIC GAMES

• When: Pool swimming: Wednesday, August 25 – Friday, September 3, 2021
• Where: Olympic Aquatics Centre / Tokyo, Japan
• Heats: 9 AM / Finals: 5 PM (Local time)
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EXPLANATION OF PARA CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM

• There are 14 classifications for Paralympic swimmers, typically denoted as “S” followed by a number.
• “SB” designates an athletes classification for breaststroke events
• “SM” is for individual medley events
• Athletes with physical impairments are classified in S1-S10, SB1-SB9, and SM1-SM10 with numbers 1-10 ranging from more severe activity limitations to less severe limitations.
• Athletes with visual impairments are classified in S/SB11-13.
• Athletes with intellectual impairments are classified in S/SB14.
• The Paralympics are not the “Para Olympics” or anything similar. The International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee are separate organizations with separate leadership and separate events that happen to have a partnership to organize their crowned jewels more efficiently.

Day 9 Prelims: 1 World, 3 Paralympic Records

Day 9 Finals: 4 World, 8 Paralympic Records

On the penultimate day of the Tokyo Paralympics, a total of 5 World and 11 Paralympic records were taken down between prelims and finals.

In the S6 women’s 400 free heats, China’s Jiang Yuyan took down the 2016 Paralympic record of 5:17.01 with the top time of  5:14.52. In the final, Yuyan took 10 seconds off her prelims time and better the May 2021 World record of 5:12.87 with a time of 5:04.57. Also swimming under the former World record for a new European record was Ukraine’s Yelyzaveta Mereshko at 5:12.61.

Australia’s William Martin broke his own April 2021 World record in the S9 men’s 100 fly twice. In prelims, Martin dropped 0.14s off of the original 58.14 World mark and chipped the 2016 Paralympic record of 59.27. Then in the final, Martin broke 58 seconds for the first time at 57.19, re-establishing new World and Paralympic records.

Two continental records were broken in the S9 women’s 50 fly heats. Hungary’s Zsofia Konkoly broke the European record at 1:07.05 while USA’s Elizabeth Smith set a new Americas record at 1:08.03. Then in the final, Konkoly closed more than a second faster than the rest of the field to nab the gold medal at 1:06.55, re-setting new Paralympic and European records.

Ukraine’s Maksym Krypak picked up his fourth Paralympic title in the S10 men’s 100 back by shaving 0.05s off his own 2016 World and Paralympic records at 57.19.

Out of the S14 men’s 100 back heats, Australia’s Ben Hance crushed the 59.82 Paralympic record with a new Oceanian record of 57.75. In the final, Hance shaved two one-hundredths off his prelims swim to re-break his Paralympic and Oceanian records at 57.73. Taking the silver medal for a new European record of 59.05 was RPC’s Viacheslav Emeliantsev.

Taking down the 2004 Paralympic record in the S4 men’s 50 free was Israel’s Ami Omer Dadaon, swimming 37.21 for a new European record. Placing fourth to establish new Americas/South American records was Mexico’s Angel Camacho Ramirez (39.37).

Two different records feel in the S4 women’s 50 free final. Australia’s Rachael Watson set a new Paralympic record to take gold at 39.36. S3 class swimmer Arjola Trimi finished second in the S4 final with new S3 class World/Paralympic records at 40.32.

More Day 9 Continental Records

• Brazil’s Talisson Glock set new Americas/South American records in the S6 men’s 400 free at 4:54.42 to take the final.
• Finishing in seventh place with a new Asian record in the S10 women’s 100 back final was China’s Zhang Meng (1:12.63).
• Breaking the Americas/South American records for fourth place in the S1 men’s 50 back final was Brazilian Jose da Silva (1:21.57).
• Also setting new Americas/South American records was Brazil’s Gabriel dos Santos Araujo, swimming 53.96 to win the S2 men’s 50 back final.

Day 9 Medal Table