2024 PARA SWIMMING WORLD SERIES – LIGNANO SABBIADORO
- March 14-17, 2024
- Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy
- LCM (50 meters)
- Meet Central
- Full Results (PDF)
The third leg of the 2024 Para Swimming World Series ran over the weekend in the Italian town of Lignano Sabbiadoro, with two new world records falling and a Tokyo Olympian making his debut as a Para swimmer.
Sergii Shevtsov, who represented Ukraine on the major international stage as recently as 2022, has a genetic disease that has resulted in him becoming eligible to compete as a Para swimmer after an impressive career as a top-tier sprinter.
The 25-year-old’s coach wouldn’t give the specific diagnosis but said that Shevtsov essentially has arthritis in all of his joints.
“Sergii has a genetic, rapidly progressing disease which was diagnosed at the age of 14,” his coach said. “In the last two years, his somatic health has significantly deteriorated, which gave him the right to participate in para-swimming competitions.”
Shevtsov competed as a S9 swimmer in Lignano Sabbiadoro, though his classification status is under review and he’ll have a new category at next month’s European Championships.
His condition currently gives him the exceptions of:
- A: Assistance on the start
- 3: Breaststroke – Simultaneous Intent to Touch
- 5: Butterfly – Simultaneous Intent to Touch
- 12+: Leg drag or show intent to kick, butterfly kick motion still able to be performed.
Shevtsov competed in the 50 freestyle, topping the prelim field in a time of 24.63 and scoring 1034 Para points before scratching the final. He also raced the 100 free (1:01.76), 100 fly (1:06.26) and 100 breast (1:26.69), placing 42nd, 39th and 24th, respectively.
He is at least the third Ukrainian to compete on the international stage as an able-bodied swimmer and reclassify to Para, joining Denys Dubrov and Maksym Krypak.
Shevtsov competed at the Tokyo Olympics in the men’s 100 freestyle, placing 35th in a time of 49.55, and also represented Ukraine at the 2017, 2019 and 2022 World Aquatics Championships.
He currently owns the Ukrainian National Record in the men’s 100 free in both long course (48.26) and short course (46.38).
FANTIN LEADS ITALIAN CHARGE AT HOME
The Italians topped the medal table in front of their home crowd, and leading the way was Antonio Fantin, who set one of the meet’s two world records.
Fantin, 22, clocked 1:02.70 to re-lower his S6 world record in the prelims of the men’s 100 freestyle, going on to win the final in 1:02.72.
A six-time Paralympic medalist, including the reigning champion in the S6 100 free, Fantin also won the 400 free in a time of 5:06.13, scoring 950 Para points.
“I train everyday here so it’s special to make it in my second home in Lignano. I wanted to break my world record that I achieved in Manchester [2023 World Championships] last summer, so I would like to go faster on the next days and I hope this is only the beginning,” Fantin said.
Italy also saw wins come from Paralympic champions Francesco Bocciardo (S5) in the men’s 200 free, Simone Barlaam (S9) in the men’s 50m free, Angela Procida (SM2) in the women’s 150 IM, and Arjola Trimi (S2) in the women’s 50 free.
Trimi won the 50 free on her 37th birthday, and after the fact, had the crowd sing “Happy Birthday” to her.
“I’m very happy and it’s an achievement that I didn’t expect. Happy birthday to me,” she said.
🥇 BIRTHDAY GOLD 🥳
🇮🇹 Italy’s Arjola Trimi (S2) has more than a reason to celebrate.
She’s turning 37 today, grabbed a gold medal in the women’s 50m freestyle event, and had the whole crowd celebrating with her.
🎉 Congrats & happy birthday, Arjola 🫶🏼 pic.twitter.com/PzjGrdQtEV
— #ParaSwimming (@Para_swimming) March 15, 2024
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
- Hong Kong’s Yui Lam Chan broke her world record in the women’s S14 200 fly by seven seconds, clocking 2:26.17.
- A total of 11 Continental Records fell at the meet, five of which came from Uganda’s Husnah Kukundakwe (S8), who set new African marks in the women’s 50 free (33.43), 100 free (1:18.27), 50 breast (40.93), 50 fly (37.12) and 100 fly (1:29.75).
- Great Britain placed 2nd on the medal table with nine medals, including six gold, led by 17-year-old Olivia Newman-Baronius (S14), who won the women’s 200 free (2:09.91), 100 breast (1:18.07) and 100 fly (1:04.10). Great Britain also had multiple wins come from Alica Tai (S8) in the women’s 100 free and 100 back.
MEDAL TABLE
A finals and Relays
| Team | 1° | 2° | 3° | 4° | 5° | 6° | 7° | 8° |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Italia | 6 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 6 |
| Great Britain | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| United States of America | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Israel | 2 | 2 | 1 | |||||
| Spain | 2 | |||||||
| Turkey | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||
| Poland | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | |||
| Switzerland | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Ukraine | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Hong Kong, China | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| Thailand | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Austria | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| France | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Uzbekistan | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Kazakhstan | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Lithuania | 1 | |||||||
| Finland | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Netherlands | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Norway | 1 | |||||||
| Czechia | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Azerbaijan | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Croatia | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||
| Cuba | 1 | |||||||
| Hungary | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Greece | 1 | |||||||
| Belgium | 1 | |||||||
| Chile | 1 | |||||||
| Slovenia | 1 | |||||||
| 26 | 26 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 21 |
Pardon me, but is arthritis even a disability recognized by the para swimming system? It is a shame that this young man is suffering, but pain is not a classifiable disability?
Anyone who knows anything about para swimming knows this is a scam!! S9?? He also swam ISL 2 years ago. 1:01.76 100 free for his classification swim then goes 24 in the 50 – pathetic.