Britain’s Tully Kearney, Ellie Challis Open World Para Swimming Championships with World Records
Great Britain’s Tully Kearney and Ellie Challis won gold medals on the opening day of the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships in Madeira, Portugal Sunday.
Kearney won the women’s S5 50 freestyle in 34.07 seconds, more than three seconds clear of the field. Challis followed it up by going 1:04.33 in the women’s SB2 50 breaststroke to set the world record.
It was part of a big night for the British delegation, which claimed five gold and seven total medals. Bethany Firth led a 1-2-3 finish for Britain in the women’s S14 200 freestyle, winning in 2:08.72. Jessica Applegate and Louise Fiddes rounded out the podium.
Hannah Russell added a title in the women’s S12 100 backstroke. Stephen Clegg won the men’s S12 100 back.
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The big winner on the opening night was Italy, which claimed six goal and 13 total medals. Alberto Amodeo started it out in a battle in the men’s S8 400 free. He clocked in at 4:27.76, edging American Matthew Torres by .08 seconds. That time is the American record. Countryman Robert Griswold took bronze.
Stefano Raimondi won the SB9 100 breast, Francesco Bocciardo claimed the S5 50 free (by .17 seconds over Brazil’s Samuel Da Silva de Oliveira) and Efrem Morelli claimed the SB3 50 breast. On the women’s side, Italy added gold medals via Giulia Ghiretti (in a 1-2 with Monica Boggioni) in the SB4 100 breast and Carlotta Gilli in the S13 100 fly. Raimondi also returned to earn bronze in the S10 50 free.
All three American gold medals on Night 1 came on the women’s side. Morgan Stickney started it by winning the S8 400 free in 4:50.18. Julia Gaffney claimed the SM7 200 individual medley in 2:55.28. Leanne Smith capped the night by setting an American record in the SB3 50 breast of 55.25. She needed all of that speed to edge Spain’s Marta Fernandez Infante by a mere 0.34 seconds.
Gia Pergolini added a silver in the S13 100 fly for the U.S.
Canada’s Shelby Newkirk set a pair of competition records in the women’s S6 100 back, winning the final in a time of 1:20.96.
It was part of a big evening for the Canadian delegation. Aurelie Rivard finished out the night with a time of 27.5 to claim the S10 women’s 50 free. Tess Routliffe and Camille Berube won silver and bronze, respectively, in the SM7 200 IM for Canada, while Nicholas Bennett earned silver in the men’s S14 200 free.
Kalia Pelendritou of Cyprus set a championships record of 29.58 in the S11 women’s 50 free in the morning. That time is also a European record. She was slightly slower at night but still won in 29.81.
Gabriel Bandiera also set a competition record, the Brazilian winning the men’s S14 200 free in 1:52.42.
Lisa Kruger of the Netherlands prevailed in the women’s SB9 100 breast, joined by countryman Rogier Dorsman claiming the S11 men’s 50 free, edging Lithuanian Edgaras Matakas by 0.15 seconds.
Thirteen nations won gold medals on the first night of the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships. Oleksii Virchenko of Ukraine won the men’s S13 100 fly in 56.10, outtouching France’s Alex Portal at the wall. Croatia’s Dino Sinovcic was on top of the field in the men’s S6 100 back. Amulfo Castorena was the only swimmer under a minute in the SB2 50 breast in 59.55.
Carlos Daniel Serrano Zarate of Colombia prevailed in a South American duel in the men’s SM7 200 IM, edging Argentina’s Inaki Basiloff by 0.65 seconds. Colombians earned silver and bronze in the SB4 men’s 100 breast, behind Greece’s Antonios Tsapatakis in 1:36.27. Rowan Crothers of Australia was one of three swimmers under 24 seconds to win the S10 men’s 50 free in 23.51.