Brazil dominate with six golds at 2017 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Swimming Championships

/in /by

Brazilian swimmers secured an incredible five gold medals at the 2017 International Federation for Intellectual Impairment Sport (World Intellectual Impairment Sport) Swimming Championships on Wednesday (30 November).

With 1,000 days to go until the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, 21-year-old Andre Luiz Bento Silva led a trio of his countrymen in the men’s 50m freestyle S14.

Silva (26.02) just edged his teammate Gustavo De Oliveira Nunes (26.34) to the wall. Guttenberg De Souza (27.08) claimed bronze, repeating his performance from 2015.

Brazil collected another gold medal in the women’s 50m freestyle S14. Teenager Ana Karolina Soares Oliveira, 17, sent a clear message to her competitors with a 28.94 finish for gold. Japanese 18-year-old Kasumi Fakui (30.33) was second. The USA’s Leslie Cichoki (30.49) completed the podium.

Soares Oliveira (2:46.89) went on to secure her second gold of the evening in the women’s 200m backstroke S14. Australia’s Jaime-Lee Getson (2:50.56) claimed silver whilst Angelica Koniecko (2:53.23) was third.

Felipe Caltran Vila Real (2:27.33) was the victor in the men’s 200m individual medley SM14. South Africa’s Aaron Putz (2:28.90) secured silver and France’s Nathan Maillet (2:32.49) bronze.

The Brazilian women’s 4x50m S14 relay team delivered their country’s fifth gold medal of the evening. Ana Karolina Soares Oliveira, Debora Borges Carneiro, Stephanie Ariodante and Beatriz Borges Carneiro touched in at 1:58.51.

There was a close fight for second, but Australia’s Jade Lucy, Casey Stevens, Nikesha Sophie Harding and Jamie-Lee Getson (2:07.16) just edged the silver. Eri Kojima, Remi Watanabe, Kasumi Fukui and Haruna Ogawa (2:07.34) were third for Japan.

Caique Aimore (29.70) won Brazil’s final gold in the men’s 50m freestyle Down syndrome.

Great Britain’s Billy Birchmore (30.84) and Jaider Stiwen Hernandez (31.49) were second and third respectively.a

The win in the women’s 200m individual medley SM14 was taken by Harding (2:46.02) for Australia. Beatriz Borges Carneiro (2:51.20) picked up another medal for Brazil with silver.  Getson (2:53.73) was third for her second podium of the evening.

Putz improved on his earlier silver medal from the medley in the men’s 200m backstroke S14. The 21-year-old sealed gold in 2:38.08 ahead of Spain’s Adrian Manuel Santana (2:44.44). Putz’s teammate Paulse Ethan 2:44.84 was close behind in third.

In the men’s 4x50m S14 relay France were the victors in 1:47.68. Maxime Dutter, Nathan Maillet, Simon Blaise and Jacky Deforge stepped onto the top of the podium.

Japan’s Yuki Yamanaka, Takashi Okamoto, Haruki Takayanagi and Shunya Murakami (1:49.81) were second. Spain’s Luis Francisco, Javier Labrador Fernandez, Alejandro Meneses Madero and Adrian Manual Santana (1:56.44) took bronze.

Down syndrome

Mexico rounded off a great day with their latest gold medals, bringing their total to seven in just 12 hours.

Daniela Michelle De Lorea took first in the women’s 200m individual medley in 3:44.05. Brazil’s Kelly Da Silva Antunes (3:48.78) was second. Rounding off the podium was Estonia’s Maria Rein (3:54.48) in third.

Jesus Garcia Gonzalez (3:01.68) put in a strong performance to claim the win in the men’s.

Spain’s Carlos Hernandez Ortiz (3:04.04) and Mexico’s Jonathan Trejo Garcia (3:28.25) completed the podium.

Full results are available at www.inas.org/events/results/results-2017-inas-swimming-championships

The 2017 World Intellectual Impairment Sport Swimming Championships run until 3 December. The competition features S14 swimmers, youth (under 17s) as well as trial eligibility groups in Down syndrome and autism.

Live coverage, behind the scenes content, videos and pictures are available at World Intellectual Impairment Sport Facebook and Twitter.