TORONTO _ Tess Routliffe put a golden stamp on her Toronto Parapan American Games experience.
Routliffe won the S7 women’s 100-meter backstroke Saturday morning while teammate Sarah Mehain come second in an exciting neck-and-neck battle.
A few minutes later Adam Purdy pushed Canada over 80 medals with a silver in the S6 100-m back.
Routliffe swam a Parapan Am Games record one minute, 31.19 seconds to win her fourth gold of the meet. Mehain, of Montreal, clocked 1:32.25 for her fourth medal and third silver.
“It was a good way to finish it off,” said Routliffe, 16, a dwarf from Caledon, Ont. “It feels good to be able to finish the meet strong.
“I surprised myself. I had a lot of fun in this race. I wasn’t super-pressured to do well, there wasn’t that much expectation on me. I felt this race was a good opportunity to have fun and just go with it and see what happened.”
Mehain, who grew up in Vernon, B.C., and now attends McGill University, said it was fun to race her teammate.
“Racing Tess got the competitive spirit going,” said Mehain, who has cerebral palsy. “I’m happy to be done and I’ve enjoyed this amazing experience.”
Purdy’s wife and children were in the stands cheering as he took the silver in 1:18.96. The London, Ont., resident had retired from swimming for seven years before returning in 2014 with the goal of competing at the Parapans.
“It’s a whole bunch of hard work that has really come to play,” said the 34-year-old who won a bronze Thursday night in the 50-m fly. “There were a lot of sacrifices and a lot of family support.
“It’s really evidence in my performances.”
Purdy has an impairment called arthrogryposis, which impacts the joint and muscle development of his limbs.
Christian Daniel, of Calgary, was fourth in 1:42.48.
In another morning final, Valerie Drapeau, of Longueuil, Que., was fifth in the S5 200-m freestyle in 4:50.22
Canada increased its medals in the pool to 81 (21 gold, 35 silver 25 bronze). The goal coming into the meet was between 80 and 85.
In Friday night’s races Aurelie Rivard, of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., will attempt to win her sixth gold medal. She swam a Parapan Games record 1:02.18 for the fastest qualifying time. Samantha Ryan, of Saskatoon, was eighth in 1:10.34.
The competition has attracted 228 athletes from 19 countries to the Parapan Am Aquatic Centre and Field House. For full results go to http://results.toronto2015.org/PRS/en/swimming/schedule-and-results.htm.
In other results:
_ Jean-Michelle Lavalliere, of Montreal, will be looking to win his fifth medal of the Games after qualifying fifth for the S7 100-m backstroke final in 1:25.93. Nathan Clement, of West Vancouver, B.C., qualified eighth in 1:33.69. Vancouver’s Scott Peterson was ninth in 1:40.92.
_ Daniel Murphy, of Bedford, N.S., qualified fourth in S5 200-m freestyle in 3:01.95. Andrew Cooke, of Penticton, B.C., was sixth in 3:21.47.
_ Gordie Michie, of St. Thomas, Ont., led qualifiers with a time of 2:22.94 in the S14 200-m individual medley. Adam Rahier, of Surrey, B.C., was third in 2:23.41.
Swimming news courtesy of Swimming Canada.
