Day seven prelims of the 2016 Paralympic Games was highlighted by the a sweep of the top seeds in the breaststroke events by the Chinese athletes, including new Paralympic and World Records.
Women’s 100 Breast–SB8
Katarina Roxon of Canada led the women’s preliminary heats of the 100 breast SB8 with a qualifying time of 1:21.27. She will be joined in the middle of the pool by Ireland’s Ellen Keane (1:23.64) and Poland’s Paulina Wozniak (1:25.21).
Great Britain’s Claire Cashmore posted a 1:25.91 for fourth, ahead of Portugal’s Joana Calado (1:26.52).
China’s Xu Jialing (1:32.48), New Zealand’s Nikita Howarth (1:33.70), and Costa Rica’s Camila Haase Quiros (1:39.99) complete the top eight qualifiers.
Men’s 400 Free–S7
Great Britain’s Jonathan Fox outlasted the competition in the men’s 400 free prelims with a time of 4:51.10.
Ukraine’s Marian Kvasnytsia and Great Britain’s Michael Jones finished close together with times of 4:58.39 and 4:58.50 respectively.
Norway’s Andreas skaar Bjornstad finished fourth with a 4:59.23, followed by Argentina’s Facundo Joes Arregui’s 4:59.35.
Colombia’s Carlos Serrano Zarate (5:02.27), Spain’s Antoni Ponce Bertran (5:09.31), and Ukraine’s Andriy Kozlenko (5:15.94) were sixth through eighth.
Men’s 100 Breast–SB14
The British duo of Scott Quin and Aaron Moores topped prelims of the men’s 100 breast SB14. Quin delivered a sizzling 1:06.65 for a new Paralympic Record, while Moores posted a 1:07.25 for second.
Marc Evers of The Netherlands turned in a 1:07.67 for third, just ahead of Japan’s Yasuhiro Tanaka’s 1:08.65.
Norway’s Adam Ismael Wenham (1:09.59), Japan’s Taiga Hayashida (1:10.70), Korea’s Yang Mook Jung (1:10.89), and Argentina’s Elian Araya (1:10.96) finished sixth through eighth.
Women’s 100 Breast–SB14
The record breaking continued into the women’s 100 breast with Spain’s Michelle Alonso Morales lowering the Paralympic Record to a 1:13.05.
Magda Toeters of The Netherlands delivered a 1:17.83 to qualify second for finals, while the third place seed was claimed by Great Britain’s Bethany Firth (1:18.19).
The Netherlands’ Marlou van der Kulk finished fourth in prelims with a 1:19.75, followed by Brazil’s Beatriz Carneiro (1:22.31).
Belgium’s Michelle Franssen (1:23.17), Sweden’s Pernilla Lindberg (1:23.88), and Indonesia’s Syuci Indriani (1:24.07) rounded out the top eight qualifiers.
Men’s 100 Back–S12
Azerbaijan’s Raman Salei took a close first in prelims of the men’s 100 back with a final time of 1:01.58. He was followed closely to the wall by the USA’s Tucker Dupree and Ukraine’s Sergii Klippert. The two posted times of 1:01.61 and 1:01.72 respectively.
Dzmitry Salei of Azerbaijan took fourth with a 1:02.63, while fifth was claimed by Great Britain’s Stephen Clegg (1:03.11).
Greece’s Charalampos Taiganidis (1:03.70), Brazil’s Thomaz Matera (1:04.19), and Kazakhstan’s Anuar Akhmetov (1:08.28) posted sixth through eighth place finishes.
Men’s 50 Breast–SB2
The record book was re-written twice during prelims of the men’s 50 breast SB2 with Chnese teammates Li Tingshen and Huang Wenpan delivering swift finishes. Li got the record breaking started in heat one when he lowered the Paralympic Record to a 55.16. Huang delivered a sizzling 52.48 in heat two to lower Li’s Paralympic Record and set the new Para and World Record. The former record was a 56.27 set in 2004 by Mexico’s Amulfo Castorena.
Fellow Chinese teammate Huang Chaowen finished third in prelims with a 55.74, while fourth went to Kuraine’s Dmytro Vynohradets’ 56.35.
Thailand’s Somchai Doungkaew (56.69), Mexico’s Armulfo Castorena (58.99), Mexico’s Cristopher Tronco (59.07), and Greece’s Ioannis Kostakis (1:06.29) were fifth through eighth.
Men’s 50 Breast–SB3
Jin Zhipeng of China took first in the men’s 50 breast SB3 with a time of 49.52. He was followed closely by Japan’s Takayuki Suzuki (49.71) and Spain’s Miguel Luque (49.79).
Italy’s Efrem Morelli finished fourth with a 49.88, followed by Canada’s Jonathan Dieleman (50.08).
Australia’s Ahmed Kelly (51.91), The Netherlands’ Michael Schoenmaker (52.77), and Spain’s Vicente Gil (53.07) took sixth through eighth.
Women’s 50 Breast–SB3
China continued to grab the top seeds in the breaststroke events with Cheng Jiao delivering a 59.87 in the women’s 50 breast SB3.
Ukraine’s Olga Sviderska took second with a 1:01.31, finishing narrowly ahead of Mexico’s Patricia Valle (1:01.34).
Ukraine’s Mariia Lafina finished fourth overall with a 1:02.23, ahead of Italy’s Arjola Trimi’s 1:06.55.
China’s Deng Yue (1:07.32), Brazil’s Patricia Pereira Dos Santos (1:07.38), and Brazil’s Rildene Firmino (1:07.66) finished sixth through eighth.
Men’s 50 Free–S13
Boki Ihar of Belarus powered to a new Paralympic Record in prelims of the men’s 50 breast, setting the new bar at a 23.73.
A tight race followed between the second through fourth place athletes with a slim .11 seconds separating them. Brazil’s Carlos Farrenberg pegged the second place seed at a 24.41, just ahead of Uzbekistan’s Muzaffar Tursunkhujaev’s 24.48. Ukraine’s Oleksii Fedyna finished fourth with a 24.52.
Australia’s Braedan Jason (24.75), Uzbekistan’s Kirill Pankov (24.79), Ukraine’s Iaroslav Denysenko (24.89), and Canada’s Nicolas Guy Turbide (25.54) rounded out the top eight.
Women’s 50 Free–S13
Ukraine’s Anna Stetsenko delivered the only sub-28 second swim of the morning, putting her in contention to take down the Paralympic and World Record of 27.38, a record which has stood since Germany’s Yvonne Hopf set it in 1996.
The Uzbekistan duo of Shokhsanamkhorn Toshpulatova and Muslima Odilova finished second and third with times of 28.21 and 28.37 respectively.
Jenna Jones of Australia took fourth with a 28.57, followed by Poland’s Joanna Mendak’s 28.64.
Uzbekistan’s Fotimakhorn Amilova (28.67), Italy’s Alessia Berra (28.85), and the USA’s Rebecca Meyers (28.86) completed the top eight qualifiers.