Rung Prepares to Renew Rivalry With Pezaro in Berlin

“My aspiration for the European Championships in Berlin is to swim my best races so far in my career. If this gives me any medals this will of course be an extra bonus.”

Double world-champion Norwegian swimmer Sarah Louise Rung has pinpointed Israel’s Inbal Pezaro as her biggest threat to winning gold at July’s 2011 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming European Championships in Berlin.

Last August, S5 class swimmer Rung beat Pezaro to become 200m Freestyle and the 100m Breaststroke World Champion, whereas Pezaro claimed gold in the 100m Freestyle by just one tenth of a second ahead of Rung. Rung won another gold medal in the 50m Butterfly event.

Now Rung and Pezaro are set to go head-to-head again in Berlin in what will be one of the last major international gatherings of Paralympic swimmers before the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Talking to www.paralympic.org, the IPC’s website, Rung said: “Inbal and I met for the first time at the World Championships in Eindhoven last year, where we both raced for gold in the 100m and 200m Freestyle and the 100m Breaststroke.

“She is a tough opponent, and to win against such a strong candidate increases the value of winning.

“My aspiration for the European Championships in Berlin is to swim my best races so far in my career. If this gives me any medals this will of course be an extra bonus.”

The 21-year old, who suffered a spinal cord injury in 2008, will compete in five different events in Berlin - 100m and 200m Freestyle, 100m Breaststroke, 50m Butterfly and 200m Individual Medley. In preparation Rung is training 25 hours per week and with two months to go to the Championships, she claims she can already feel the pressure mounting.

Sarah Louise Rung said: “I know the pressure of doing well always increases as your performances get better.

“People expect you to do well. I also have expectations for myself to do well, and do my very best.

“The best thing I can do is to concentrate on what I am going to do and not so much about peoples’ expectations.”

Other swimmers set to compete in Berlin between 3-10 July include two-time Paralympic champion Frenchman David Smetanine and Ukraine’s Maksym Veraska, the fastest Para-Swimmer in the world.