US Breaks 4×50 Mixed Medley Relay World Record on Day Three of Para Worlds

2022 WORLD PARA SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• June 12-18, 2022
• Madeira, Portugal
• Penteada Swimming Pool Complex
• LCM (50-meter format)
• Start Times
  • Finals: 5 p.m. local / 12 p.m. ET
• Meet Central
• Live Results
• Streaming Info

Para Classifications System:

• There are 14 classifications for Para 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 Americans decided to finish day three of the 2022 World Para Championships in Madeira with a bang, cracking the 4×50 mixed medley relay world record by .10. Their team of Ellie Marks, Leanne Smith, Abbas Karimi, and Rudy Garcia-Tolson broke China’s world record set in 2019 with a time of 2:32.49.

Notably, this is Garcia-Tolson’s final meet before retirement, closing out an impressive para-swimming career of five Paralympic Games and five Paralympic medals over the past 18 years. His last individual event in Madeira will be the 100 breast SB6 on Friday, but Garcia-Tolson is not done with the Games yet. He plans to pursue para-triathlons next and to compete at the 2024 and 2028 Paralympic Games.

After day three, the United States has surpassed Great Britain on the medal table to move into second place. Individual wins from 18-year-old Gia Pergolini in the women’s 100 freestyle S13 and Robert Griswold in the men’s 100 butterfly S8, alongside the relay victory is what bumped the U.S. ahead. Pergolini went up against world record holder and two-time world champion Carlotta Gilli of Italy in her race, the favorite to win, but Gilli finished in 3rd place.

Italy still has a commanding lead, medal-wise. Swimmers like Stefano Raimondi, who won his third gold of the meet in the men’s 400 free S10 today, continue to build that lead. Columbia and Spain made the most progress on the medal table jumping from 8th to 5th and 17th to 8th, respectively.

While no individual world records were broken on day three, seven championship records fell. The first was in the men’s 100 backstroke S2 where Brazil’s Gabriel Geraldo dos Santos Araujo swam a 1:57.69 to win bronze. His teammate Maria Carolina Gomes Santiago snagged gold in the women’s 50 freestyle S12 with a championship record time of 26.86. She came within .14 of her own world record.

Singapore’s Pin Xiu Yip has held the women’s 100 back S2 world record since 2016 and she wasn’t about to let that change today. She won gold in the event with a new championship record time of 2:15.16. The fourth championship record fell in the men’s 100 breaststroke SB14 where Naohide Yamaguchi of Japan touched the wall first in a time of 1:04.46. He came within .8 of the World record he set at the Tokyo Paralympics to win gold last summer. 

Spain’s Marta Fernandez Infante won the women’s 50 butterfly S5 with a championship record time of 41.91. She is the World Record holder in this event and defending Paralympic champion. This was her second win of the day, following her gold medal finish in the 150 IM SM4. She was also part of Spain’s bronze medal-winning 4×50 mixed medley relay, contributing largely to Spain rising from 17th to 8th on the medal table today. Nelson Crispin Corzo won one of Columbia’s three gold medals today by taking down the men’s 200 IM SM6 championship record with a time of 2:41.16.

In the men’s 100 fly S9, Tokyo Paralympic silver medalist Simone Barlaam of Italy touched the wall first with a championship record time of 58.29. Australia’s William Martin, the defending Paralympic champion, was the favorite to win, but Barlaam went out fast. He earned a one-second lead at the halfway mark which held up even with Martin chasing him down. Martin finished 2nd (59.00). 

Cypress’s Karolina Pelendritou took care of the final championship record of the session in the women’s 100 breaststroke SB11. She came within 1.3 seconds of her world record from the Tokyo Paralympics to win with a time of 1:21.01. 

Four Americas records were also set, three by women. The first was broken by Brazil’s Jose Ronaldo Da Silva to win bronze in the men’s 100 backstroke S1 (2:55.78). He broke his own record from January and this was his first time going sub-3 minute. His teammate Joana Maria Da Silva Neves Euzebio won bronze in the women’s 50 butterfly S5 with a record-setting time of 45.06. Mexico’s Fabiola Ramirez Martinez broke the women’s 100 backstroke S2 America’s record with a 2:33.20 to win silver. The final record was set by women’s 100 breast SB11 silver medalist Nadia Baez of Argentina with a time of 1:28.43.

The youngest medalist of the day was 13-year-old Csenge Hotz who won bronze in the women’s 400 free S10 (4:56.69).  She completed a 1-3 finish for Hungary as her teammate Bianca Pap touched the wall first (4:35.40). Notably, Canadian world record holder and Tokyo gold medalist Aurelie Rivard stopped at the 250-meter mark and went directly to the medical station. No details about her health during this race have been made public yet.

Great Britain had a 1-2 finish in the women’s 200 IM SM6 race led by Maisie-Summers Newton who won gold at the Tokyo Paralympics in this event by setting a world record. She touched the wall first (2:58.76) followed by her teammate Grace Harvey (3:02.10).

Two absences caused by  FINA’s ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes from Worlds this year made day three of competition a unique opportunity for para-swimmers. Without Russia’s Roman Zhadanov, the 2021 Paralympic champion and current world record holder, the men’s 150 IM SM4 was less predictable than it had been since 2015.  Israel’s Ami Omer Dadaon won gold today with a time of 2:37.12 and a commanding lead.

World record holder Ihar Boki of Belarus is also out of the meet, meaning the men’s 100 freestyle S13 was up for grabs. 2019 bronze medalist Kyrylo Garaschenko of Ukraine touched the wall first today with a time of 53.29. He had an incredible back half, flipping in 7th place at the 50 meter mark and surpassing the entire field on the final length. 

Medal Table After Day Three

*The medal table in this post is ranked by gold medal totals, then silver medal totals, then bronze medal totals

Full Results

Men’s 100 backstroke S1

1. Anton Kol (UKR) – 2:30.90
2. Francesco Bettella (ITA) – 2:31.42
3. Jose Ronaldo Da Silva (BRA) – 2:55.78 (Americas Record)

Men’s 100 backstroke S2

1. Gabriel Geraldo dos Santos Araujo (BRA) – 1:57.69 (Championship record)
2. Alberto Caroly Abarza Diaz (CHI) – 2:00.45
3. Jacek Czech (POL) – 2:02.05

Women’s 100 backstroke S2

1. Pin Xiu Yip (SGP) – 2:15.16 (Championship record) 
2. Fabiola Ramirez Martinez (MEX) – 2:33.20 (Americas record)
3. Angela Procida (ITA) – 2:36.46

Men’s 100 breaststroke SB7

1. Carlos Daniel Zarate Serrano (COL) – 1:11.62
2. Christian Sadie (RSA) – 1:20.87
3. Mark Malyar (ISR) – 1:21.42

Women’s 100 breaststroke SB7

1. Tess Routliffe (CAN) – 1:31.91
2. Nikita Howarth (NZL) – 1:33.45
3. Naomi Somellera Mandujano (MEX) – 1:40.55

Men’s 100 breaststroke SB14

1. Naohide Yamaguchi (JPN) – 1:04.46 
2. Jake Michel (AUS) – 1:05.02
3. Joao Pedro Brutos de Oliveira (BRA) – 1:05.29

Women’s 100 breaststroke SB14

1. Michelle Alonso Morales (ESP) – 1:15.13 
2. Paige Leonhardt (AUS) – 1:16.44
3. Debora Borges Carneiro (BRA) – 1:17.25

Men’s 150 IM SM4

1. Ami Omer Dadaon (ISR) – 2:37.12
2. Andreas Ernhoffer (AUT) – 2:45.65
3. Miguel Luque (ESP) – 2:45.91

Women’s 150 IM SM4

1. Marta Fernandez Infante (ESP) – 3:00.02
2. Kat Swanepoel (RSA) – 3:04.04
3. Nely Edith Miranda Herrera  (MEX) – 3:08.36

Men’s 50 freestyle S12

1. Raman Salei (AZE) – 24.18
2. Illia Yaremenko (UKR) – 24.20
3. Maksym Veraksa (UKR) – 24.32 

Women’s 50 freestyle S12

1. Maria Carolina Gomes Santiago (BRA) – 26.86 (Championship record) 
2. Hannah Russell (GBR) – 27.91
3. Lucilene Da Silva Sousa (BRA) – 28.15

Men’s 50 butterfly S5

1. Samuel Da Silva de Oliveira (BRA) – 33.23
2. Kaede Hinata (JPN) – 35.06
3. Siyazbek Daliyev (KAZ) – 36.32

Women’s 50 butterfly S5

1. Marta Fernandez Infante (ESP) – 41.91 (Championship record) 
2. Sevilay Ozturk (TUR) – 44.38
3. Joana Maria Da Silva Neves Euzebio (BRA) – 45.06 (Americas Record)

Men’s 200 IM SM6

1. Nelson Crispin Corzo (COL) – 2:41.16 (Championship record)
2. Juan Jose Gutierrez Bermudez (MEX) – 2:46.44
3. Talisson Henrique Glock (BRA) – 2:46.75

Women’s 200 IM SM6

1. Maisie Summers-Newton (GBR) – 2:58.76 
2. Grace Harvey (GBR) – 3:02.10
3. Nicole Turner (IRL) – 3:12.62 

Men’s 100 butterfly S9

1. Simone Barlaam (ITA) – 58.29 (Championship record) 
2. William Martin (AUS) – 59.00 Tokyo Champ
3. Federico Morlacchi (ITA) – 1:01.26

Women’s 100 butterfly S9

1. Zsofia Konkoly (HUN) – 1:07.64 
2. Emily Beecroft (AUS) – 1:09.35
3. Toni Shaw (GBR) – 1:09.42 

Men’s 400 freestyle S10

1. Stefano Raimondi (ITA) – 4:06.42 
2. Bas Takken (NED) – 4:08.27
3. Alexander Elliot (CAN) – 4:09.88

Women’s 400 freestyle S10

1. Bianca Pap (HUN) – 4:35.40
2. Oliwia Jablonska (POL) – 4:40.49
3. Csenge Hotz (HUN) – 4:56.69 

Men’s 100 breaststroke SB11

1. Rogier Dorsman (NED) – 1:11.38 2nd gold of the meet
2. Keiichi Kimura (JPN) – 1:14.25 
3. Edgaras Matakas (LTU) – 1:15.97 

Women’s 100 breaststroke SB11

1. Karolina Pelendritou (CYP) – 1:21.01 (Championships record) 
2. Nadia Baez (ARG) – 1:28.43 (Americas record)
3. Yana Berezhna (UKR) – 1:32.47

Men’s 100 freestyle S13

1. Kyrylo Garaschenko (UKR) – 53.29 2019 bronze medalist. 7th place at turn.
2. Muzaffar Tursunkhujaev (UZB) – 53.33
3. Alex Portal (FRA) – 53.34

Women’s 100 freestyle S13

1. 18yo Gia Pergolini (USA) – 1:00.10
2. Ayano Tsujiuchi (JPN) – 1:00.53
3. Carlotta Gilli (ITA) – 1:01.55 

Men’s 100 butterfly S8

1. Robert Griswold (USA) – 1:02.43
2. Alberto Amodeo (ITA) – 1:03.42
3. Gabriel Cristiano Silva de Souza (BRA) – 1:06.22

Women’s 100 butterfly S8

1. Laura Carolina Gonzalez Rodriguez (COL) – 1:21.68
2. Eunyeong Lim (KOR) – 1:23.45
3. Maria Jazmin Aragon Diani (ARG) – 1:27.43 

Mixed 4×50 medley 20 pts (S1-10/SB1-9)

1. USA (Ellie Marks / Leanne Smith / Abbas Karimi / Rudy Garcia-Tolson) – 2:32.49
2. Italy (Monica Boggioni / Efrem Morelli / Giulia Terzi / Francesco Bocciardo)  – 2:42.66
3. Spain (Antoni Ponce Bertran / Miguel Luque / Marta Fernandez Infante / Nahia Zudaire Borrezo) – 2:42.81