Swimmers Set Twenty Virtus WR at GG2023

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By Alisha Bramhall and Akhila Chungath 

Swimming

The atmosphere at the swimming pool was electrified by the presence of numerous Paralympic Champions who won multiple Gold medals, as well as the sensational athletes who broke several Virtus World Records (WR). The GG2023 in Vichy witnessed a remarkable sixteen new Virtus WR being established, adding to the excitement and thrill of the event.

II1 Virtus WR

The II1 category witnessed an outstanding performance by Brazilian swimmers, who managed to set all eight new world records.

  1. Gabriel Bandeira: Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Champions who took the internet by store two years ago, made his debut at the Virtus competitions in GG2023 and dominated the II1 events winning eleven Gold and three silver medals. He thrashed the 50m Freestyle record 00:24.17sec along with three other records in the Men’s and Mixed relays with his team, tallying a total of four WR.
  2. João Pedro Brutos de Oliveira: João was another Brazilian who broke multiple records. In the individual event, he set the new Virtus WR in 50m Breaststroke with 30.12 sec. He was also part of the Men’s and Mixed relay teams and set new records making it a total of four WR for him.
  3. Brazilian II1 Men’s Relay team: Brazilian men’s team of Silva Filho, Duarte, Brutos De Oliveira, and Gabriel Bandeira broke two Virtus world records in the 4x50m Freestyle Relay and 4x50m Medley Relay, by clocking a time of 1:39.89sec and 1:50.37sec.
  4. Women’s 4x50m Freestyle II1 Relay team: Ariodante, Beatriz, Debora, and Soares representing Brazil broke three records in the 4x50m Freestyle, 4x50m Medley and 4x100m Freestyle Relay by storming towards the end line with a timing of 01:54.07sec, 02:08.11 sec and 04:13.51sec respectively.
  5. Brazilian Mixed Medley Relay team: The Brazilian mixed relay team of Soares, Brutos De Oliveira, Bandeira and Ariodonte set a new WR record for 4x100m mixed medley relay with 4:23.61sec.

II2 Virtus WR

The Global Games 2019 marked a momentous occasion for Virtus as the II2 competition class was included as a full medal event. This decision represented a significant milestone in the recognition and acceptance of II2 athletes. Despite being in only its second edition at the GG2023, the II2 athletes showcased their remarkable abilities by breaking records and pushing the boundaries of human potential. Their incredible skill and unwavering determination were on full display, leaving a lasting impact on the global stage. In the II2 category, a total of twelve records were set.

(L-R). Kobayashi Michiko, Vincente Pereira, Caique Aimore. Photo Credit: Japanese Paralympic Committee, Picout Natation and CBDI

  1. Kobayashi Michiko: Japanese swimmer Kobayashi broke the Virtus World record twice in a row today in the female II2 100m breaststroke event. She swam a time of 1:42.69sec in the heats this morning to set the first record and later broke her own record in the finals clocking an impressive time of 1:39.86 seconds. She also set the record for 200m Breaststroke with a timing of 3:41.82sec.
  2. Vicente Pereira: Portuguese swimmer II2-Pereira Vicente makes history by breaking three Virtus World records. He created a new record in the 50m Freestyle with 29.59 seconds. The versatile swimmer strikes again in the 50m butterfly with a timing of 00:31.05sec and in the 100m butterfly with a stunning time of 1.13.57sec, breaking two more world records.
  3. Caique Aimore: The records tumbled right from the start, Caique Aimore, representing Brazil, made waves at the Virtus Global Games by thrashing two Virtus World Records in II2 class events, 200M II2 freestyle (2:33.40sec) and 100m Freestyle (1:06.06sec).
  4. Ayuko Morrishita: The 200m butterfly world record was broken by Japanese swimmer Ayuko Morrishita II2 with a timing of 3:21.20sec.
  5. Spanish II2 Men’s relay: Demonstrating exceptional teamwork and relentless determination, the Italian swimmers deliver a breath-taking performance. The men’s II2 4x100m medley relay team of Italy makes history by shattering the world record with an astonishing time of 5:30.42sec.
  6. Camino Martinez de la Riva: Spanish Swimmer Camino set the new WR in 400m Freestyle with a time of 06:07.13sec.
  7. Camacho Dunia: Mexican swimmer Camacho set the new WR for 1500m Freestyle with a timing of 25:02.54sec.
  8. French relay team: Dutay, Graftiaux, Belig and Renou representing France clocked a time of 6:02.66sec in the 4x100m Mixed Medley relay.

Full results can be accessed from the GG2023 website.