Mykhailo Serbin, Aussie Relay Set World Records on Day 6 of Para Worlds
Ukraine’s Mykhailo Serbin and the Australian S14 mixed medley relay set world records Saturday on the sixth and penultimate day of the World Para Swimming Championships in Manchester, England.
Serbin went 1:06.01 to win the men’s S11 100 backstroke. He bested Portugal’s Marco Meneses by a second and a half for gold. Serbin also down the world mark set at the Rio Paralympics in 2016 by his countryman, Dmytro Zalevskyi, at 1:06.66.
Serbin was one of three Ukrainians to earn gold on the night and nine total medalists in the session. Andrii Trusov won the men’s S7 50 freestyle, in a race where his countryman Yurii Shenhur won bronze. (In between was Colombia’s Carlos Daniel Serrano Zarate in an Americas record time.) Denys Ostapchenko won the men’s S3 200 free.
Kyrylo Garaschenko earned a silver medal in the men’s S13 400 free. Roman Bondarenko (S2 men’s 50 back), Anna Stetsenko (S13 women’s 400 free) and Yevhenii Bohodaiko (men’s SB6 100 breast) added bronze medals, as did the mixed 400 free relay 49 points. Anton Kol missed a medal by a tenth of a second in the men’s S1 50 back, settling for fourth.
Australia punctuated the session by going 4:07.71 in the S14 mixed medley relay with the team of Benjamin Hance, Jake Michel, Paige Leonhardt and Madeleine McTernan.
Garashenko was part of one of the most special races of the night. The S13 400 free was won by France’s Alex Portal. Third place went to his brother, Kylian Portal.
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The session was light on world records for the otherwise boundary-pushing week in Manchester. China’s Wang Xinyi set a competition record in the women’s S11 100 back at 1:15.20. In the process, she edged Cai Liwen, her fellow Chinese swimmer and the world record holder, by .32 seconds. Analuz Pellitero of Argentina set an America’s record for fifth, and a European record from Kateryna Tkachuk was only good for fifth.
Yang Hong of China set an Asian record in winning the men’s SB6 100 breast.
Jessica Long won her 37th career world title, claiming the SM8 women’s 200 individual medley ahead of China’s Zhu Hui. It’s the 54th career Worlds medal for Long.
Christie Raleigh Crossley bested the field in the S9 100 back. Olivia Chambers started the night with silver in the S13 women’s 400 free, and Leanne Smith added a bronze in the S3 200 free.
Great Britain picked up a pair of gold medals, with Ellie Challis winning the S3 200 free and Maisie Summers-Newton claiming the SB6 100 breast. She set a European record of 1:31.34.
Italy had a massive night, including the winner of the race of the evening. Simone Barlaam edged France’s Ugo Dider, the world record holder, in the S9 100 back by.08 seconds. Barlaam clocked in at 1:00.35.
Italy got golds from Carlotta Gilli (S13 women’s 400 free), Monica Boggioni (women’s S5 200 free) and Francesco Bocciardo (men’s S5 200 free). Stefano Raimondi was second in the men’s S10 100 free, as was Vincenco Boni in the S3 200 free and Angela Procida in the S2 women’s 50 back.
Australian Rowan Hodge won his second gold of the meet in the men’s S10 100 free.
Canada’s Aurelie Rivard won her 19th career Worlds medal with gold in the S10 100 free, ahead of Colombia’s Maria Paula Barrera. Danielle Doris of Canada finished second in the S7 50 free behind Sara Vargas Blanco of Colombia.
Singapore’s Pin Xiu Yip (S2 women’s 50 back), Gabriel Dos Santos Araujo of Brazil (S2 men’s 50 back), Poland’s Kamil Otowski (S1 men’s 50 back) and Xu Haijao of China (SM8 men’s 200 IM) added bronze medals. Brazil won the mixed 400 free relay 49 points.