U.S. Opens 2023 Citi Para Swimming World Series with Three American Records
Three American records were set on the opening night of the 2023 Citi Para Swimming World Series Thursday night in Minneapolis.
Elizabeth Marks set an American mark in the women’s S6 100 freestyle. Morgan Ray followed by taking the men’s SB6 100 breaststroke record, and Trevor Lukacsko downed a record in the SB14 men’s 100 breast in the morning.
Marks, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist, won the first event of the night at the Jean K. Freeman Aquatics Center, her time of 1:13.16 re-setting the S6 100 free mark. McKenzie Coan, an S7 swimmer, took second place.
Ray set his seventh American record by going 1:22.99 in the 100 breast. He edged the reigning Paralympic SB13 silver medalist, David Abrahams.
Colleen Young won the SB13 women’s 100 breast to add another American gold medal. Countrywoman Olivia Chambers finished third. Piper Sadowski and Abigail Kershaw, both S14 swimmers, went 1-2 in the 200 free.
Lukacsko set the men’s 100 breast mark in the morning before scratching the final to swim the 200 free. He finished third in that event, behind the Mexican duo of Angel De Jesus Camacho and Gustavo Ramon Sanchez, both S4 swimmers.
Frenchman Ugo Didier won the men’s 100 free, then took third in the 100 breast. American Noah Jaffe (S8) was second in the 100 free with Jamal Hill (S9) third.
Mexican swimmers took home three golds, including a sweep of the 50 breast swims. Nely Edith Miranda won the women’s 50 breast, ahead of Colombia Maria Alejandra Macias. Arnulfo Castroena led a 1-2-3 finish in the men’s 50 breast, with Sanchez second and Camacho third.
Brazil’s Maria Carolina Gomes finished second in the 100 breast and third in the 100 free.
The U.S. won 11 medals in all on the first day. More than 130 athletes from 13 countries will be in the Twin Cities for the American stop of the para swim series, which serves as one of the qualifying opportunities for this summer’s Para Swimming World Championships in Manchester, England. Sessions from the meet are available to live stream on the US Para Swimming website.