Paralympic Games (Day 9 Men): William Martin Leads World-Record Assault; Maksym Krypak Claims Fourth Gold
Australia’s William Martin put together a brilliant performance in the S9 100-meter butterfly on the ninth night of the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Martin took nearly a second off his world record in the event, as he touched the wall in 57.19. Martin’s previous record stood for just a few hours, at 58.14 from the preliminary heats.
The Aussie led the whole way, but it was his power over the second lap that distanced him from the field. Martin claimed gold ahead of Italy’s Simone Barlaam, who finished more than two seconds back in 59.43 for the silver medal. Russia’s Alexander Skaliukh was the bronze medalist.
“I didn’t really have anything left in the tank,” Martin said. “I was pretty cooked by the end of it. At the 10-meter-left mark, that’s where I kind (of) hit a brick wall and really started to sting. Everything is just going well because of the great support at work that I got at home. Awesome family, always looking after me. Great coach, back at the home club he’s phenomenal.”
Benjamin Hance continued the Australian roll when he won the S14 100 backstroke in a Paralympic Games record of 57.73, not far off his world record. The silver medal was won by Viacheslav Emiliantsev and bronze went to Reece Dunn of Great Britain. It was the fifth medal of the Games for Dunn, the most of any British Paralympian in Tokyo.
Ukrainian star Maksym Krypak added to his already spectacular Games when he set a world record of 57.19 in the S10 100 backstroke. Krypak took .05 off his previous record and earned his sixth medal of the Games. Four of his medals have been gold, with Krypak also winning the S10 100 butterfly, 100 freestyle and 400 freestyle.
Gold in the S6 400 freestyle went to Brazil’s Talisson Henrique Glock while Israel’s Iyad Shalabi was triumphant in the S1 50 backstroke. In the S2 50 backstroke, Brazil’s Gabriel Geraldo dos Santos Araujo prevailed by nearly four seconds. Victories in the 50 freestyle went to Mexico’s Diego Lopez Diaz (S3) and Israel’s Ami Omer Dadaon (S4).
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