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.
The sixth finals session featured a record-breaking frenzy like no other. At the end of the session, 9 World records and 12 Paralympic records were re-established.
The record-breaking frenzy was highlighted by Belarus’ Ihar Boki, picking up his fourth Paralympic title in Tokyo in the SM13 men’s 200 IM. Boki won the event with a new World record of 2:02.70, bettering his own 2:03.79 standard from 2013. His time also cleared his 2016 Paralympic record of 2:04.02. This title is now Boki’s 15th career Paralympic title and 17th career Paralympic medal.
Rounding out the SM13 men’s 200 IM podium were France’s Alex Portal (2:09.92) and the Netherlands’ Thomas van Wanrooij (2:10.79). USA’s David Henry Abrahams set a new Americas record with his fourth-place time of 2:12.67.
In the women’s version, Italy’s Carlotta Gilli took 0.38s off the 2018 World record with a time of 2:21.44. Her time also took down the 2016 Paralympic record of 2:24.43. USA’s Colleen Young took the silver medal at 2:26.80 while Uzbekistan’s Shokhsanamkhon Toshpulatova took the bronze medal at 2:27.92.
In the S7 men’s 100 back, Ukrainian Andrii Trusov crushed his 1:10.20 prelims swim to take down the 2019 World record of 1:08.92 with a lifetime best of 1:08.14. His time also surpassed the newly-minted Paralympic record of 1:09.12 from prelims, set by Argentine Pipo Carlomagno, who finished second in the final with new Americas/South American records of 1:08.83. Israeli Mark Malyar took the bronze at 1:10.08.
Crushing his own S4 men’s 200 free World record by six seconds with a lifetime best of 2:44.84 was Israel’s Ami Omer Dadaon, which also eclipsed the 2008 Paralympic record by 11 seconds. Japan’s Takayuki Suzuki earned his fourth medal on home soil, a silver, with a time of 2:55.15, three seconds ahead of RPC’s Roman Zhdanov (2:58.48).
China picked up a dominant 1-2-3 finish in the S5 men’s 50 back. Picking up the gold with a new World/Paralympic record was Zheng Tao, bettering his own 32.48 World best with a 31.42. His time also crushed the prelims Paralympic record time of 33.27, set by runner-up Ruan Jingsong, who bettered his own swim at 32.97. Wang Lichao rounded out the all-Chinese podium with a third-place effort of 33.38.
Another Chinese swimmer claiming Paralympic gold in World/Paralympic record-breaking fashion was Lu Dong, winning with a time of 37.18. Dong set the Paralympic record this morning at 40.00 before taking down the 2010 World record of 38.68. Spain’s Teresa Perales finished in second at 43.02 while Turkey’s Sevilay Ozturk finished in third at 43.48.
Both World and Paralympic records bit the dust in the SM11 men’s 200 IM. Dutchman Rogier Dorsman broke the 2:20-second barrier for the first time with his swim of 2:19.02, winning by nearly nine full seconds. Finishing in silver medal position was Ukrainian Mykhailo Serbin (2:27.97) while Japanese Uchu Tomita finished in bronze medal position at 2:28.44.
Another pair of World and Paralympic records fell in the following event, the SM11 women’s 200 IM. Ma Jia led a Chinese 1-2 finish with her winning time of 2:42.12, bettering both World/Paralympic records by more than four seconds. Country-mate Cai Liwen earned the silver medal with a time of 2:42.91, also under both World/Paralympic records. After touching fourth at the 150-mark, Anastasia Pagonis of the USA earned the bronze medal at 2:45.91, a new Americas record.
In the final event of the session, the 34 points men’s 4×100 free relay, the Aussie quartet of Rowan Crothers, William Martin, Matthew Levy, and Ben Popham took down the May 2021 World record and 2016 Paralympic record with a total time of 3:44.31. Leading off Italy’s runner-up relay, which set a European record at 3:45.89, was Antonio Fantin, whose time of 1:04.20 set a new S6 Paralympic record. Ukraine took third in the final at 3:47.40.
More Day 6 Medalists
- Taking the S9 women’s 100 back Paralympic title with a new Americas record was Hannah Aspden of the USA, touching in at 1:09.22, just four one-hundredths off the standing Paralympic record. Rounding out the podium were Nuria Marques Soto of Spain (1:10.26) and Sophie Pascoe of New Zealand (1:11.15).
- In the S7 women’s 100 back, American Mallory Weggemann ran down Canadian Danielle Dorris to nab the Paralympic title and record in 1:21.27, easily bettering the 2016 mark of 1:22.72. Dorris took the silver medal at 1:21.91 while another American, Julia Gaffney, took the bronze medal at 1:22.02 for a USA 1-3 finish.
- Bogdan Mozgovoi of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) took down the 2012 S9 men’s 100 back Paralympic record of 1:02.39 with a winning time of 1:01.65, just 0.31s ahead of runner-up Yahor Shchalkanau (1:01.96). Placing third for the bronze was Timothy Hodge of Australia (1:02.16), four one-hundredths ahead of Ugo Dieder of Canada (1:02.20).
- China finished 1-2 in the S6 men’s 50 fly, courtesy of Wang Jingjang (30.81) and Jia Hongguang (31.54). Finishing in third for the bronze was Colombia’s Nelson Crispin Corzo (31.77). China picked up another gold medal in the women’s edition, courtesy of Jiang Yuyan (34.69). Rounding out the women’s podium were Ireland’s Nicole Turner (36.30) and USA’s Elizabeth Marks (36.83), a new Americas record.
- Italy’s Arjola Trimi broke the S3 women’s 100 free European record with her gold medal time of 1:30.22, winning by 7.46s. Taking the silver medal was USA’s Leanne Smith (1:37.68) while RPC’s Lullia Shishova took the bronze medal (1:49.63).
Day 6 Medal Table
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China (CHN) |
13 | 12 | 13 | 38 |
| 2 |  Italy (ITA) |
9 | 9 | 5 | 23 |
| 3 |  RPC (RPC) |
9 | 6 | 13 | 28 |
| 4 |  Ukraine (UKR) |
8 | 13 | 3 | 24 |
| 5 |  United States (USA) |
8 | 4 | 8 | 20 |
| 6 |  Great Britain (GBR) |
6 | 6 | 4 | 16 |
| 7 |  Australia (AUS) |
5 | 6 | 10 | 21 |
| 8 |  Belarus (BLR) |
5 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 9 |  Brazil (BRA) |
4 | 2 | 7 | 13 |
| 10 |  Israel (ISR) |
4 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 11 |  Netherlands (NED) |
3 | 4 | 2 | 9 |
| 12 |  Japan (JPN) |
2 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| 13 |  Spain (ESP) |
1 | 8 | 0 | 9 |
| 14 |  Canada (CAN) |
1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
 Colombia (COL) |
1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | |
| 16 |  New Zealand (NZL) |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 17 |  Chile (CHI) |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
 Hungary (HUN) |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
 Ireland (IRL) |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 20 |  Mexico (MEX) |
1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 21 |  Azerbaijan (AZE) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Singapore (SIN) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 23 |  France (FRA) |
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 24 |  Argentina (ARG) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 25 |  Germany (GER) |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 Greece (GRE) |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
 Uzbekistan (UZB) |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 28 |  Cyprus (CYP) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Lithuania (LTU) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Turkey (TUR) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Good swim by Aspen getting gold in the 100B. Not sure what happened to Cole and Pascoe there I would have thought they would be 1-2. Team USA seems to be holding up pretty well overall though the relays seem to not be doing much.
That men’s relay was very exciting. Coming into the last leg Australia had ahi he lead but they knew Italy would gain a lot on them in the last leg (I think an S7 swimmer against an S10). Australia managing to hold on – was a brilliant race.