It was an incredible night at the IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal, Canada as eight new world records were set in one evening of competition.
The fire works started as soon as the first race of the night concluded. Danylo Chufarov of the Ukraine won the men’s 400 freestyle S12 in a world record time of 4:05.95 erasing Russian Sergey Punko’s 2008 record of 4:08.64. This was the second world title and second world record for Chufarov who also won the 200 IM in world record time earlier in the competition.
His record was the first of four that were set by the Ukrainians. Ganna Ielisavetska won the women’s 100 freestyle S2 in a world record time of 2:16.95. Ielisavetska broke her own 2010 world record of 2:24.17 by over seven seconds.
Olga Sviderska won the women’s 100 freestyle S3 in a time of 1:37.58 breaking the world record of 1:44.32 set by Paralympic champion Xia Jiangbo of China. By winning the event Sviderska became one of two Ukrainian athletes to win their fourth gold of the competition.
The Ukrainian women’s 4 x 50 medley relay also set a new world mark winning the event in a time of 2:57.35.
On the first day of the competitions New Zealand’s Sophie Pascoe broke the women’s 100 freestyle S10 world record and returned to the pool on Friday beginning her day by breaking the 100 butterfly S10 world record in the prelims posting a time of 1:04.39. Pascoe beat her own world record of 1:04.43 that she set in London last year.
After the swim Pascoe let it be known that she thought she could be faster in the final and that she was breaking her third world record of the competition winning the event in a time of 1:03.95.
Another swim, another championships and another world record those words are often heard when American Jessica Long is in attendance at an international competition so why should today be any different. Long won her third consecutive world title in the women’s 100 butterfly S8 in a world record time of 1:09.79.
“It was tough going,” said Long. “It is what I’ve been training for all year.”
Less then a month ago Long received the ESPY for the Best Female Athlete with a Disability for the second year in a row, with a few more performances like she had in the 100 butterfly and the 2014 award may be her’s as well.
In the very next event Ihar Boki of Belarus won the men’s 400 freestyle S13 in a world record time of 3:55.56. Boki made a huge improvement on his own world record of 3:58.78 which he set in London last summer.
Brenden Hall of Australia won the men’s 400 freestyle S9 in a new world record time of 4:09.93 breaking his own record of 4:10.88 which he set last summer at the Paralympics.
The second Ukrainian athlete to collect his fourth gold of the competition was Dmytro Vynohradets. Vynohradets won the men’s 100 freestyle S3 in a time of 1:43.00.
It is unbelievable to see the strength of the Ukrainian team. They have already collected 62 total medals (26 gold, 15 silver and 21 bronze) at the competition. To put that into perspective at the 2012 Paralympics they finished third with 44 total medals (17 gold, 14 silver and 13 bronze) and at the 2010 IPC Swimming World Championships they finished on top of the medal standings with 58 total medals (21 gold, 20 silver and 17 bronze) only one ahead of the Americans.
And there are still two more days left at this year’s IPC Swimming World Championships.
Full results can be found here
Sounds a little reminiscent of Rome! Lol