Tokyo Paralympics Day 8 Finals: Jessica Long Earns Career Medal No. 27

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.

During day 8 finals of the Tokyo Paralympics, American Jessica Long became a 27-time Paralympic medalist while Canadian Aurelie Rivard, Brazilian Maria Gomes Santiago, and Chinese Zheng Tao added gold medals to their previous titles in Tokyo. At the end of the session, four World and eight Paralympic records were re-written.

After leading prelims, RPC’s Maria Pavlova secured Paralympic gold in the SB7 women’s 100 breast, swimming in at 1:31.44. USA’s Long touched third at the half-way mark before accelerating past Australia’s Tiffany Thomas Kane for the silver medal, 1:34.82 to 1:35.02.

This silver medal for Long now marks her 27th career Paralympic medal and fourth medal in Tokyo. Previously, Long took gold in the SB8 200 IM, bronze in the S8 100 back, and silver in the S8 400 free.

• You can read more about Long’s career Paralympic medals here.

Winning her second Paralympic title in Tokyo with new World and Paralympic standards was Canada’s Rivard, taking the S10 women’s 400 free final at 4:24.08, a new personal best by five seconds. Earlier in the meet, Rivard earned 50 free bronze before taking 100 free gold in another World/Paralympic record-breaking swim. Hungary’s Bianka Pap (4:29.83) and Poland’s Oliwia Jablonska (4:33.20) earned the silver and bronze medals behind Rivard.

Earning her third gold medal in Tokyo was Brazil’s Gomes Santiago, setting a new Paralympic record of 1:14.89 to win the SB12 women’s 100 breast final. RPC’s Daria Lukianenko took the silver medal at 1:17.55 while Ukraine’s Yaryna Matlo took the bronze medal at 1:20.31.

China’s Tao picked up his third Paralympic title in Tokyo with his winning S5 men’s 50 free time of 30.31, a new Paralympics and Asian record. Earlier, Tao won the 50 fly and back finals. Country-mates Yuan Weiyi picked up the silver medal at 31.11 while Wang Lichoa picked up the bronze at 31.35, another China 1-2-3 finish.

More Day 8 Highlights

In the SB11 women’s 100 breast final, Cyprus’ Karolina Pelendritou held off China’s Ma Jia by four one-hundredths for the gold medal, 1:19.78 to 1:19.82. Both swims were under Jia’s 2019 World record of 1:22.36, the class’ first two sub-1:20 swims. This gold medal marks Pelendritou’s first Paralympic title since the 2008 Games when she took the SB8 event title. Ukraine’s Yana Berezhna finished in bronze medal position at 1:27.02.

Taking down the first Paralympic record of the session was Colombia’s Carlos Serrano Zarate, chopping 0.49s off his own 2016 SB7 men’s 100 breast mark at 1:12.01. Taking second place with a new European continental record was RPC’s Egor Efrosinin, stopping the clock at 1:16.43, just 0.54s ahead of third-place finisher Australia’s Blake Cochrane (1:16.97).

Italy’s Antonio Fantin was running third at the halfway mark of the S6 men’s 100 free final until he unleashed a 32.11 closing 50 to clinch the gold at 1:03.71. That time bettered his own May 2021 World record of 1:03.76 and his prelims Paralympic record of 1:04.16. Rounding out the podium were Colombia’s Nelson Crispin Corzo (1:04.82) and Brazil’s Talisson Glock (1:05.45). Placing fourth was China’s Jia Hongguang, setting a new Asian continental record of 1:05.55.

Swimming the first sub-1:03 effort in SB13 class history out of the men’s 100 breast final was Germany’s Taliso Engel, taking down his own 1:03.52 prelims World record with a 1:02.97. USA’s David Henry Abrahams took silver at 1:04.38 while Kazakhstan’s Nurdaulet Zhumagali took bronze at 1:05.20.

Giving Azerbaijan their third swimming gold medal of these Games was Vali Israfilov, taking down the 2016 SB12 men’s 100 breast Paralympic record at 1:04.86. Ukraine’s Oleksii Fedyna held off RPC’s Artur Saifutdinov by 0.14s for the silver medal, 1:05.62 to 1:05.76.

More Day 8 Medalists

• S10 men’s 400 free World record-holder Maksym Krypak of Ukraine secured Paralympic gold with his lone sub-4:00 time of 3:59.62. Bas Takken of the Netherlands took silver at 4:02.02 while Thomas Gallagher of Australia took bronze with a new Oceanian record of 4:03.91.
• Securing Paralympic gold after leading prelims was Rogier Dorsman of the Netherlands, winning the SB11 men’s 100 breast at 1:11.22. Earning a silver medal for Japan was Keiichi Kimura (1:11.78) while World record-holder Bozun Yang of China earned bronze at 1:12.62.
• In the SM9 men’s 200 IM, RPC’s Andrei Kalina set a new European record with his winning time of 2:14.90. Taking second in the final was Australia’s Timothy Hodge at 2:15.42 while France’s Ugo Didier took third at 2:17.15. In the women’s race, New Zealand’s Sophie Pascoe held off Hungary’s Zsofia Konkoly by 0.27s for the gold medal, 2:32.73 to 2:33.00. Spain’s Nuria Marques Soto picked up the bronze medal at 2:35.64.
• Setting a new European record en route a gold medal in the SB13 women’s 100 breast final was Germany’s Elena Krawzow at 1:13.46. Taking the silver medal by 0.64s was Great Britain’s Rebecca Redfern at 1:14.10 while USA’s Colleen Young took the bronze medal at 1:15.69, a new Americas continental record.
• RPC’s Viktoria Ishchiulova nailed the only sub-30 effort of 29.91 to win the S8 women’s 50 free final. Brazil’s Cecilia Jeronimo de Araujo touched out Italy’s Francesca Palazzo by 0.34s for the silver medal, 30.83 to 31.17.

Day 8 Medal Table