Tokyo Paralympics Day 9 Prelims: 1 World, 2 Continental, 3 Games Records Fall

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 the penultimate prelims session of the Tokyo Paralympics, one World, two continental, and three Paralympic records were broken.

In the S6 women’s 400 free, China’s Jiang Yuyan took down the 2016 Paralympic record of 5:17.01 with the top time of  5:14.52. Current World record-holder Switzerland’s Nora Meister swam the second-fastest time at 5:23.91 while former Paralympic record-holder Ukraine’s Yelyzaveta Mereshko took third at 5:26.35.

Breaking his own World record from April 2021 in the S9 men’s 100 fly was Australia’s William Martin, dropping 0.14s off his original mark at 58.14. His time also clipped the 2016 Paralympic record of 59.27. Rounding out the top three times were Italy’s Simone Barlaam (1:00.71) and Spain’s Jose Antonio Alcaraz (1:00.97).

Two continental records were broken in the S9 women’s 50 fly. Taking the top prelims seed was Hungary’s Zsofia Konkoly, breaking the European record at 1:07.05. Swimming the No. 2 seed was USA’s Elizabeth Smith, whose time of 1:08.03 set a new Americas record.

Out of the S14 men’s 100 back, Australia’s Ben Hance crushed the 59.82 Paralympic record with a new Oceanian record of 57.75, threatening his own June 2021 World record of 57.56. Great Britain’s Reece Dunn placed second at 1:00.37, just ahead of Korea’s Inkook Lee (1:00.62).

More Day 9 Top Seeds

• S6 Men’s 400 Free: Talisson Glock (BRA), 5:06.28
• S10 Men’s 100 Back: Maksym Krypak (UKR), 1:00.07
• S10 Women’s 100 Back: Bianka Pap (HUN), 1:09.71
• S14 Women’s 100 Back: Bethany Firth (GBR), 1:07.16
• S2 Men’s 50 Back: Gabriel dos Santos Araujo (BRA), 56.82
• S2 Women’s 50 Back: Yip Pin Xiu (SGP), 1:03.61
• S3 Men’s 50 Free: Josia Topf (GER), 46.48
• S4 Men’s 50 Free: Takayuki Suzuki (JPN), 38.25
• S4 Women’s 50 Free: Maria Fernandez Infante (ESP), 41.39