Great Britain’s Stephanie Millward, who was reclassified from S9 to S8 earlier this summer, reportedly told Reshmin Chowdhury of the BBC that she is now competing in the right class.
Stephanie Millward tells @ReshminTV on @bbc5live that she's in the right class… @swimswamnews @Paralympics @britishswimming
— Chris Mitchell (@chrismbbcsport) September 8, 2016
Millward was a 5-time medalist at the Paralympics in London with four silvers and one bronze in the S9 category. The move to S8, a traditionally slower classification, placed her among the ranks of Australia’s Maddison Elliott and Lakeisha Patterson and the U.S.’s Jessica Long.
Millward broke the S8 100 back world record earlier this summer at the British Summer Championships.
On Thursday, Millward won the bronze medal in the women’s S8 400 free with 4:49.49, coming in behind both Patterson (4:40.33) and Long (4:47.82).
She is one of five British female swimmers to have won medals so far this Paralympics. Other medalists for the UK women include Harriet Lee (silver: 100 breast SB9), Stephanie Slater (silver: 100 fly S8), Jessica-Jane Applegate (bronze: 100 back S14), and Susannah Rodgers (bronze: 50 free S7).
Still to come for Millward are the 100 free tomorrow, her signature 100 back on Tuesday, the 4 x 100 free relay Thursday, the 50 free and 4 x 100 medley relay Friday, and the 200 IM on Saturday.
Now 34, Millward was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at the age of 17.
So she gets her long awaited gold medal !!! Well done just shows that a cheat can prosper.
And i look forward to seeing the electric wheelchair in manchester being used to help her get to the blocks.
Funny how it is never seen when she walks to and from the pool !!!
S8 swimming has been tarnished thank you IPC
What’s that sound? Ah yes, the sound of a gold medal clinking… Pretty desperate stuff here- you realize how your comments might come across as someone being a pretty poor loser.
Pretty poor loser !!!
Or someone who is concerned that unless these cheats are challenged !! The situation will get worse, yet again i find it funny thst you won’t just come out and say who you are sour grapes ???
Sad day for bi lateral amputees , 100f Jess raced amazing but lost out on the turn , slower on the dive , so how is the the same at the other s8″s
Even the commentator says about the turns and dives
Why are amputees not looked at properly of Patterson and millward are in the right place the surly the amputees are in the wrong place ? They can never compete with 4working limbs end of !!!!
Changes must be done to stop the cheats
Patterson, Elliott and Millward are definitely not in the right class. This race was shocking. Patterson kicked strongly with both legs (one supposedly does not work due to CP according to her, even although there are no signs of atrophy) and her arm was normal. The only oddity was that ridiculous clawed hand that appeared out of the blue in 2014. As for Ms Elliott, classified twice as S9 in 2015. Lastly Millward, well that’s just sad. You can no longer believe what you are watching.
I agree
While I respect the dedication and effort of Paralympic swimmers, and have seen some truly inspiring performances, the whole classification system seems to me to be ripe for manipulation, political jockeying, and other shenanigans. With money on the line for medaling, and increased media coverage, it’s bound to only get worse.
Classification in disability swimming is an absolute JOKE. My legally blind kid was classified as NE by two clowns masquerading as ophthalmologists. My kid has and always will be blind (testing at or worse than 20/400 on EVERY eye exam). It is clear that the classifiers had read the paperwork (unblinded), DID NOT FOLLOW IPC rules for the exam procedure, and had made the decision as NE before the exam. You don’t have to believe me since this really sounds like sour grapes — but this is really sad for the athletes who are truly impaired. The US leadership was not supportive, are culpable, and should also be ashamed. What should be a celebration of sport is marred because of… Read more »
What about the clowns trying to abduct kiddies into the North Caolina woods ? Now they are masquerading as ophamologists !
Its deplorable .
Clowns in general are down right SCARY…
Bethany Firth won gold in the S14 100back in 1.04 – Also Ellie Robinson gold in the S6 50fly.
S8 what a joke and thats putting it mildly as a parents of an S8 swimmer we have been told through the grapevine that making comments against stephanie and other classification cheats will have an impact on our daughter’s chances of making it.
Sad day for disability swimming when the cheating has apporoval of the management.
And i predict that after his 400 race a certain S8 GB swimmer will look to be reclassified back to an S7
Not hard to guess who you’re referring too. I thought the same after his post-race interview, utterly shameful.
This is what you’re referring to Mark https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/sep/04/concernts-paralympics-athletes-abuse-official-classification-uk-athletics-email – who would have thought making unfounded accusations of lying and cheating is unacceptable in today’s society. Political correctness gone made right???
Sourgrapes
Why do you hide who you really are yet make comments.
If you have something to say i will gladly meet up with you face to face and discuss the shambles of classification.
It might be a shambles but most of the threads here talk about IR, which is a different matter all together. Don’t know anything about your kid, or situation though course have sympathy
But she was a confirmed s9 so why change it when she was the best s9 some thing don’t add up !
Global conspiracy mate… or maybe…
Here are Millward’s historical times for the 100 free:
1:04.52 (2008 Paralympics S9)
1:03.85 (2010 World Championships S9)
1:04.00 (2013 World Championships S9)
1:04.08 (2014 European Championships S9)
1:05.26 (2016 European Championships S9)
1:11.70 (2016 IDM Berlin for reclassification)
1:06.13 (2016 British Summer Championships S8)
If this doesn’t appear to be intentional misrepresentation, I don’t know what does.
Lekeisha was very friendly with Jess on Thursday. The reverse wasn’t true.
Lakeisha Patterson is a straight up fraud. It is dumbfounding when you consider just exactly what she and Australia are up to – and with the full blessing of the IPC. There is no CP or PD there, sickening. I am quite sure Jess Long was courteous and professional
Maybe long is trying to get reclassified for that 400 m she pulled out the other day! Nice one stevey boy!
Your comments on the blogs about a very serious issue – fraud are ridiculous. Contribute meaningfully or troll on.
I see your point, but (even without the anomaly of the IDM Berlin result) it does look like her times have been getting progressively slower since 2010 for whatever reason. If she had swum a 1.06 at the IDM Berlin, is it likely she would have remained in the S9 category?
Stephanie is 34 years old. Just because you are swimming slower than you did 10 years ago should not facilitate a class change. I don’t know the details about Stephanie’s classification in Berlin. It should be transparent though. For example, did she medically bench test as S8 or as S9 and then subsequently reclassed S8 on first swim?
Classification is a 3 step process – classifiable impairment, medical testing and technical testing. All athletes should be observed in competition but this seems to be left up to the classifier. I understand if they are required to be observed in competition, they are issued a tracking code. Perhaps then Stephanie’s slow swim was inconsequential. Perhaps it was deliberate to ‘cement’… Read more »
1:05.16 (2016 Paralympics S8)
There you go Steve – https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/sep/04/concernts-paralympics-athletes-abuse-official-classification-uk-athletics-email : have a look at the libel section then refer back to your previous articles on here 😉
Cheating at its best