Tokyo Paralympics Day 9 Finals: Jessica Long Now 28-Time Paralympic Medalist

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.

At the conclusion of the penultimate finals session of the Tokyo Paralympics, four World and eight Paralympic records were set. With one more day of competition to go, China leads the swimming medal table with 47 medals (15 G, 15 S, 17 B), followed by the RPC (45 medals) and Ukraine (39).

The American quartet of Hannah Aspden, Mikaela Jenkins, Jessica Long, and Morgan Stickney won the 34 points women’s 4×100 medley relay with a time of 4:52.40. This gold medal now marks Long’s 15th career Paralympic title and 28th career Paralympic medal, adding to her extensive Paralympic medal collection. The RPC relay finished in second place at 4:55.55 while the relay from Australia took third at 4:55.70.

Long’s Paralympic medal collection now ties her with 28-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps, which he earned between 2004-2016. Long’s first Paralympic Games were also at the 2004 Games in Athens.

Long’s Tokyo Medals (Thus Far):

• Gold, SM8 women’s 200 IM
• Bronze, S8 women’s 100 back
• Silver, S8 women’s 400 free
• Silver, SB7 women’s 100 breast
• Gold, 34 points women’s 4×100 medley relay

Winning the S6 women’s 400 free title was China’s Jiang Yuyan, stopping the clock at 5:04.57. That time crushed her prelims Paralympic record of 5:14.52 by nearly ten full seconds and shaved 8.3s off the May 2021 World record of 5:12.87. Also swimming under the former World record for a new European record was Ukraine’s Yelyzaveta Mereshko at 5:12.61. Taking the bronze medal was former World record-holder Switzerland’s Nora Meister at 5:19.67.

After swimming a World best of 58.14 in prelims, Australia’s William Martin broke 58 seconds for the first time in the S9 men’s 100 fly at 57.19, establishing new World and Paralympic records. Italy’s Simone Barlaam picked up another Tokyo medal, a silver, at 59.43 while Alexander Skaliukh picked up another bronze medal for RPC at 1:00.54.

Closing more than a second faster than the rest of the S9 women’s 100 fly field to nab the gold medal was Hungary’s Zsofia Konkoly at 1:06.55, setting new Paralympic and European records. USA’s Elizabeth Smith took the silver medal at 1:08.22 while Spain’s Sarai Gascon took the bronze medal at 1:08.43.

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. Taking the silver was Italy’s Stefano Raimondi, also breaking a minute at 59.36, while France’s Florent Marais took the bronze at 1:01.30. Previously in Tokyo, Krypak won the 100 fly, 100 free, and 400 free.

Shaving two one-hundredths off his prelims Paralympic record was Aussie Ben Hance, swimming 57.73 in the S14 men’s 100 back, a new Oceanian record. RPC’s Viacheslav Emeliantsev set a new European record of 59.05 for the silver medal while Great Britain’s Reece Dunn also stayed under a minute for the bronze medal at 59.97.

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. Japan’s Takayuki Suzuki earned another silver medal with his 37.70 effort while Italy’s Luigi Beggiato took a bronze medal at 38.12. Placing fourth to establish new Americas/South American records was Mexico’s Angel Camacho Ramirez (39.37).

In the S4 women’s 50 free final, Australia’s Rachael Watson set a new Paralympic record to take gold at 39.36. Finishing in silver medal position was S3 class swimmer Arjola Trimi, setting class World/Paralympic records at 40.32. Spain’s Marta Fernandez Infante took the bronze medal at 40.85.

More Day 9 Medalists

• Brazil’s Talisson Glock set new Americas/South American records en route gold in the S6 men’s 400 free at 4:54.42, touching the wall 1.28s ahead of Italy’s Antonio Fantin (4:55.70). Rounding out the podium was RPC’s Viacheslav Lenskii (5:04.84).
• Hungary’s Bianka Pap won the S10 women’s 100 back final by a 2.24-second margin at 1:06.70. Taking the silver medal was Canada’s Aurelie Rivard at 1:08.94 while the Netherlands’ Lisa Kruger took the bronze medal at 1:09.44. Finishing in seventh place with a new Asian record was China’s Zhang Meng (1:12.63).
• S14 women’s 100 back World/Paralympic record-holder Bethany Firth of Great Britain won the event final with a time of 1:05.92, just 0.93s ahead of runner-up RPC’s Valeriia Shabalina (1:06.85). Taking the bronze medal was Great Britain’s Jessica-Jane Applegate (1:07.93).
• In the S1 men’s 50 back, Israeli Iyad Shalabi took the gold at 1:11.79, with Ukrainian Anton Kol taking the silver at 1:13.78 while Italian Francesco Bettella took the bronze at 1:14.87. Breaking the Americas/South American records for fourth 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. Another South American swimmer, Chile’s Alberto Abarza, placed second at 57.76 while RPC’s Vladimir Danilenko also broke a minute for third at 59.47.
• Winning gold in the S2 women’s 50 back by four seconds was Singapore’s Yip Pin Xiu, taking the title at 1:02.04. The remaining podium finishers also hail from the continent of Asia: Japan’s Miyuki Yamada (1:06.98) and China’s Feng Yazhu (1:11.55).
• In the S3 men’s 50 free final, Mexico’s Diego Lopez Diaz took the gold medal at 44.66 while China’s Zou Liankang (45.25) and Ukraine’s Denys Ostapchenko (45.95) took the silver and bronze medals.

Day 9 Medal Table