Seven more world records were set on the final night of the IPC Swimming World Championships making it a total of 45 new world marks being recorded through out the seven day competition.
Belarusian Ihar Boki started his assault on the record book in the prelims of the men’s 100 freestyle S13. Boki qualified for the top spot in the final posting a 51.67 breaking his own 2012 world record of 51.91. In the final Boki bettered himself once again winning the event in a time of 51.05.
Boki was not the only Belarusian to etch his name into the record book on Sunday evening, his teammate Uladzimir Izotau won the men’s 100 breaststroke SB12 in a new world record time of 1:06.03. Izotau broke the record of 1:07.05 which was set last summer in London by Mikhail Zimin of Russia.
New Zealander Sophie Pascoe highlighted an extremely successful World Championships for her country. Pascoe won the women’s 50 freestyle S10 in a world record time of 27.78 breaking her own record of 28.08. Pascoe was one of three kiwi women to win events on the evening giving New Zealand 13 gold for the week and elevated them to fourth in the medal standings.
Ukrainian Dmytro Vynohradets collected one more world title in the men’s 50 butterfly S3 giving him an incredible seventh win of the competition. Vynohradets won the event in a time of 55.78 breaking his own 2009 world record of 57.81.
After setting the men’s 100 freestyle S8 world record on Saturday evening Russian Denis Tarasov returned to the pool in Montreal to win the 50 freestyle setting another world record finishing in a time of 25.81. Tarasov bettered the record he set at the Paralympic Games last summer by one one-hundredth of a second.
Karolina Pelendritou of Cyprus won her country’s first gold of the competition taking the women’s 100 breaststroke SB12 in a world record time of 1:16.10. Pelendritou broke the record of 1:16.17 set by Natalia Pronina of Azerbaijan last summer.
The women’s 4 x 100 medley relay team from Great Britain capped off the competition with a final blast of excitement winning the event in a world record time of 4:45.21.
One of the greatest achievements of the competition was Brazilian Daniel Dias collecting his sixth world title in the men’s 50 freestyle S5. Coming into the competition the 25 year old was already the most decorated athlete in Montreal and after this week he has now accumulated 16 IPC World Championship titles since 2006, “I’m very, very, very, very happy about my results in Montreal,” said Dias.
The Ukrainian team dominated the medal standings finishing with 84 total medals (33 gold, 22 silver and 29 bronze), Russia finished second with 54 total medals (19 gold, 22 silver and 13 bronze) followed by Great Britain who collected 55 total medals (18 gold, 22 silver and 15 bronze).