Paris Paralympics, Day 1 Finals: Poppy Maskill Sets S14 100 Fly World Record
It took all of seven events at the Paris Paralympics for us to see our first world record, courtesy of Poppy Maskill. She had to outduel the co-holders of the record head-to-head.
The British youngster went 1:03.00 in the women’s S14 100 butterfly at the Paris La Defense Arena on Thursday, the first of 10 finals sessions in the Paralympics. That gets the 19-year-old her first Paralympic medal.
It highlights a busy session that featured 15 finals and started with a rousing swim from home-country hero Ugo Didier to win the men’s S9 400 free.
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Italy is atop the medal table with eight total medals after one day. It joins China and Great Britain with two golds each. Australia and Ukraine have four medals apiece.
Men’s S9 400 freestyle
Ugo Didier was fourth in prelims of the 400 free in the morning, nearly two seconds behind Australian Timothy Hodge. But the Frenchman has something special ready for finals.
Didier went 4:12.55, nearly seven seconds quicker than his morning swim, to secure gold in front of home fans. The 22-year-old from Le Chesnay won silver in this event in Tokyo. It’s his third career Paralympic medal.
“It was unbelievable,” Didier said. “The cheering for me helped me a lot. I don’t think I could have done it without the crowd. I think I will never swim with that type of crowd again.”
Simone Barlaam of Italy, who finished fifth in Tokyo, was second in 4:14.16. The Australian success in this event continued, the Aussies having taken three of the top four spots in Tokyo. Brenden Hall, who was fourth in Tokyo, secured the bronze medal in 4:15.61. It augments gold medals in London and Rio for the world record holder.
It came at the expense of his teammate Hodge, though. Hodge had been fastest in prelims and was nearly three seconds quicker in finals but still just off the podium.
Women’s S9 400 freestyle
Like Hodge, Australian Lakeisha Patterson set the pace in prelims on the women’s side. Like Hodge, she wasn’t able to back it with gold.
Zsofia Konkoly went 4:39.78, charging home to overtake Patterson for the first time on the final 50 and get the win in 4:39.78. She was .36 seconds ahead of Patterson. It reverses the result from Tokyo, when Patterson edged Konkoly for gold by .08 seconds.
Vittoria Bianco of Italy secured bronze in a distant 4:47.55. Nuria Marques, the Rio Paralympic champion, was fourth. Toni Shaw, bronze medalist in Tokyo, was fifth.
Men’s S1 100 backstroke
Kamil Otowski of Poland left no doubt, breaking away early and coasting to victory in 2:17.85. The compelling race was for silver. Anton Kol, the silver medalist in the 50 in Tokyo, got to the wall first in 2:33.49, ahead of Italy’s Francesco Bettella. It’s the fifth career medal for Kol, age 34, and Bettella, 35.
Men’s S2 100 backstroke
Gabriel Araujo was surprised to find himself second in this race in Tokyo to his rival and friend Alberto Abarza of Chile. Thursday, he left no doubt as to his superiority.
The Brazilian set an Americas’ record of 1:53.67, the only swimmer under two minutes to win. Arajuo won the 50 among four medals in Tokyo.
Abarza had a battle on his hands for silver. He lost that to Vladimir Danilenko, who outtouched him in 2:01.34. He was .63 seconds ahead of Abarza, who secured silver.
Women’s S2 100 backstroke
Just .06 seconds meant the difference in gold medal No. 6 for Yip Pin Xiu. The Singaporean great somehow managed to get to the wall just millimeters in front of Mexico’s Haidee Aceves. Yip was first at the wall and appeared to fall behind in the finishing stretch. But she found another gear to get to the wall first for the third straight Games in this event.
“It was so close that when I came out, I touched the wall, I saw the two beside me also touched the wall and I was like, ‘oh no, what’s this?’,” Yip said. “I didn’t know how close it was. Our game plan going in was really to focus on our own race, have a plan for the 50m out, and then back. I’ve been trained throughout the years not to look at the people around me and to really focus on what I can do and keep the energy there so I didn’t know how close it was.”
Her time was 2:21.73, much slower than in prelims, when she went 2:18.19 to best the field by nearly four seconds. She holds the world record from Rio at 2:18.19.
It’s the fourth Olympics at which she’s won a medal, dating to Beijing in 2008.
Aceves, 31, is no stranger to the Paralympics, having competed since 2012. But at her fourth Games, this is her first medal. That’s a quality consolation prize, as is a pair of Americas record. Her time of 2:22.03 from prelims set it, and she cut that further to 2:21.79.
Angela Procida added another medal for Italy with bronze in 2:24.48.
Men’s S14 100 butterfly
Alexander Hillhouse’s Paralympic debut is one he won’t forget, the 20-year-old from Denmark setting a Paralympic Games record with a time of 54.61 to win gold. He claimed a scintillating final in which the three medalists were separated by just .47 seconds.
Second was Great Britain’s William Ellard in 54.86. He had been quickest in prelims at 54.37, .35 seconds up on his good friend Hillhouse.
“We are best friends,” Hillhouse said. “I am so happy I could swim next to him. It’s always a good battle, but friendships are more important than medals. I am so happy I had Will next to me and that we are having fun together.”
The bronze medal went to Gabriel Bandeira, the reigning Olympic champion. He sees his Paralympic record fall, though his world record narrowly services. He wen 55.08, edging Benjamin Hance of Australia, the bronze medalist in Tokyo, by 1.4 seconds. Hance was faster in the morning to set the Oceania record of 55.71.
Women’s S14 100 butterfly
Poppy Maskill served notice of her intent with a time of 1:03.66 in prelims. It was fast enough to move the co-world record holders – Valeriia Shabalina and Olivia Newman-Baronius – out of the center lanes.
She then moved them off the record board altogether, blistering a 1:03.00 in finals. That downs the 1:03.33 that the Russian competing as a neutral athlete and British swimmers held. Shabalina had won the event in Tokyo in 1:03.59.
“Unreal. Weird,” Maskill said. “I was just hoping that I swam as hard as I could, and see what happens.”
Maskill took all the down in gleaning her first Paralympic medal. Yui Lam Chan of Hong Kong finished second, with an Asian record of 1:03.70. Shabalina hung onto the podium with a bronze medal in 1:04.40, while Newman-Baronius had to content herself with fourth, .19 back.
Men’s SB3 50 breaststroke
What a journey it’s been for Takayuki Suzuki to a 13th career Paralympic medal. The winner of this event at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 is back on top, in a time of 48.04 seconds. Suzuki had won bronze in this event in Tokyo.
“Hard work for 16 years has paid off,” Suzuki. “This was what I wanted. I’m focused on winning medals, getting PBs.”
He got the win over Efren Morelli of Italy, who has dominated this event on the world stage in recent years. He adds a silver to that pile in 49.41. Miguel Luque picked up bronze in 50.52. It’s not only his eighth Paralympic medal but the seventh Games at which he has medaled, dating back to Sydney in 2000. Luque turns 48 in September. It denies Jo Gi-Seong a medal. The South Korean, who won three golds in Rio, finished fourth.
Women’s S6 50 freestyle
The first American of the night session finally hit the water, and it’s another silver medal for Ellie Marks. That’s thanks to the great form of China’s Jiang Yuyan. Jiang set the Paralympic record of 32.70 in prelims, then lowered it to 32.59 in finals to get gold. It’s also an Asian record.
That denies a gold for Marks, the silver medalist in Tokyo. She set the American record of 32.90 but just fell behind Jiang at the tough.
Anna Hontar, whose world record holds on by .04 seconds, grabbed bronze in 33.01 for Ukraine. She was a second clear of Canada’s Shelby Newkirk.
Men’s S10 50 freestyle
Thomas Gallagher led the way in the final with a time of 23.40 that just edged out a pair of medalists from Tokyo. Phelipe Rodrigues of Brazil bumps up a spot from three years ago to silver in 23.54. Rowan Crothers, the reigning Olympic champion, earned bronze this time in 23.79. It’s a second straight fourth-place result for Italy’s Stefano Raimondi, .13 off the podium.
Gallagher won bronze in Tokyo in the 400 free, but after a life-threatening attack of pancreatitis that required surgery, he’s reinvented himself as a sprinter.
“I am proud of myself and that’s pretty rare for me,” he said. “I am my harshest critic. I am more proud of the people around me, who have stuck by me. My family, my twin brother who is really my inspiration. He knows why. He’s an amazing person.”
Women’s S10 50 freestyle
The beauty of the Paralympics is that one race can have two world record holders.
American Christie Raleigh-Crossley, an S9 swimmer, marked her Olympic debut in the morning with a world record of 27.28 seconds. Chen Yi of China set the S10 mark in finals to secure gold in the mixed-classification race, a thriller.
Chen was first to the wall in 27.10. She had been a tenth behind Raleigh-Crossley in the morning. The American grabbed silver by going 27.38 at night. She downed Sophie Pascoe’s world record from 2018.
Bronze went to the swimmer whose record Chen downed, Aurelie Rivard. The Canadian picked up her 11th career Paralympic medal and her second straight bronze in this event in 27.62. She was just ahead of Alessia Scortechini of Italy, who went 27.70. Places three through seven were separated by just .19 seconds.
Men’s S13 100 butterfly
Frenchman Alex Portal nearly pulled off the stunner of the meet. Instead, Ihar Boki held on for Paralympic medal No. 19 and gold No. 17.
Boki, swimming as a Neutral Paralympic Athlete, went 54.13 to hold off the charge of the home-country hope by a scant quarter second. It’s the fourth straight Paralympics at which Boki has won this event. A native of Belarus, Boki won five gold medals in Tokyo after six in Rio and five in London. He’s the world and Paralympic record holder.
“The last time I had such emotions was at my first Paralympics in London,” Boki said. “Here I feel the same passion, the same drive, the same emotions, and it is magnificent.”
Portal looked to upset that. A second slower than Boki in prelims, he sped up to 54.38 to put a scare into the favorite. Raised in the Paris neighborhood of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, it’s a third Paralympic medal for Portal.
Enrique Jose Alhambra Mollar of Spain grabbed bronze in 56.24, he was just .34 up on Ukraine’s Oleksii Virchenko. Uzbekistan’s two finalists finished fifth and sixth.
Women’s S13 100 butterfly
Even if she wasn’t first in prelims, Carlotta Gilli was always the swimmer to beat. The 23-year-old is now a two-time Paralympic champion in this event, picking up her sixth overall medal in 1:03.27. She held off a charge from American Grace Nuhfer, who had set the pace in prelims.
Nuhfer climbed from fourth to silver in the final 50, grabbing her maiden Paralympic medal. Fellow American Olivia Chambers finished fifth.
“It’s so exciting, it still feels surreal,” Nuhfer said. “I don’t know if it will ever hit me. Today has been so much fun and I feel so supported and loved, and that’s worth more than any medals. It means the world to represent my country, my family and friends, my teammates back at Akron, my coaches, anyone who’s helped me get to this point. It’s really for all of them, more than it is for me.”
Bronze went to Uzbekistan’s Muslima Odilova in 1:05.43, another final with two Uzbek swimmers. Ireland’s Roisin Ni Riain was fourth.
Prelims in the event held surprises. Alessia Berra of Italy, the silver medalist in Tokyo, finished ninth and didn’t make it back. Nor did American Gia Pergolini, who was fifth in Tokyo.
Men’s S5 200 freestyle
Francesco Bocciardo capped a sterling evening for Italy by lowering his Paralympic record in the 200 free to 2:25.99. It’s .77 seconds quicker than his time to win gold in Tokyo, and it clinches a fifth Paralympic medal for him.
“I’m very happy to have broken the Paralympic record,” he said. “I didn’t believe that at my age I would be able to do it. I knew it would be very difficult, and to win this race, I needed to be faster than I have been.”
Bocciardo was third at the midpoint and second with 50 meters to go but came charging home to get past Kirill Pulver of the NPA. He got silver in 2:27.32.
Oleksandr Komarov of Ukraine was third, while Spain’s Antoni Ponce Bertran, the silver medalist from Tokyo, missed out on the medals in fourth. Guo Jincheng of China was fifth in an Asian record 2:40.74.
Women’s S5 200 freestyle
World record holder Tully Kearney picked up her second career gold medal with a time of 2:46.50. She was .32 behind Ukraine’s Iryna Poida when the field turned for home but delivered the second-fastest final 50 to overtake her. Kearney was second in this event in Tokyo.
“Absolutely ecstatic, a bit speechless,” Kearney. “I really wanted redemption for Tokyo. I was never happy with that silver. So, to go and get gold in the 200 free was just incredible. Really happy with that.”
Poida hung on for silver in 2:47.16. Monica Boggioni of Italy had the fastest closing 50 but is the bronze medalist again in 2:47.96.
Germany’s Tanja Scholtz finished eighth. The S4 swimmer set the Paralympic record of 3:08.53 in the morning prelims.