Belgium's Genyn and Kuwait's Almutairi smash records in Nottwil

World champions Peter Genyn and Ahmad Almutairi brought the world record tally to 11 on the fourth morning of action (Sunday 29 May) in Nottwil, Switzerland, at the IPC Athletics Grand Prix.

Genyn has already won the 100m here and the Belgian made clear his intentions for the rest of the year with a record-breaking performance in the men’s 200m T51, knocking 0.61 seconds off the world mark he set in nearby Arbon a year ago.

The 29-year-old clocked 37.47 as he got the better of Finland’s 100m Paralympic champion Toni Piispanen.

Almutairi lowered the world record mark he set in the heats on Friday as he won the men’s 200m T33 in 29.96, adding to his victory over 400m on Saturday (28 May).

The Kuwaiti set a new world record in the 200m here 12 months ago and he is clearly a fan of the Nottwil track, lowering that mark twice in the last three days.

Dutch world champion Kenny van Weeghel (25.37) and 100m T54 Paralympic champion Leo-Pekka Tahti (25.47) looked neck and neck as they came round the bend in the 200m but it was van Weeghel who pulled clear in the closing stages to take the win just ahead of his Finnish rival.

Canada’s multiple world champion Brent Lakatos (26.64) looked in terrific form as he comfortably won the men’s 200m T53 to go top of the world rankings.

There were world leads too for Finland’s European champion Henry Manni (27.86), winner of the men’s 200m T34, and Mexico’s Leonardo Perez Juarez (32.77), first in the men’s 200m T52.

South Africa’s T44 sprinter Arnu Fourie left the field behind as he took the win in the men’s 200m T42-47 in 23.47 – his second win in Nottwil this weekend – as teammate Jonathan Ntutu (23.79) also made it a sprint double with a win in the men’s T11-13/20.

Frenchman Dimtri Jozwicki (25.53) won the 200m T35-38.

Great Britain’s Shelby Watson has broken four world records so far at this Grand Prix and the 18-year-old Scot notched up yet another impressive performance as she won the women’s 200m T33 clocking 37.10, while Belgium’s T52 world champion Marieke Vervoort crossed the line in 37.93.

Australia’s Rosemary Little clocked 34.23 in the 200m T34, while her teammate Angie Ballard dominated the women’s T53 race, finishing well clear of her rivals in 30.40.

It was a similar situation for US racer Hannah McFadden in the 200m T54 – the world bronze medallist extending her lead as she pushed down the final 100m to take the win in 31.22.

Double world champion Ilse Hayes clocked 25.49 in the 200m T11-13; Dutch sprinter Marlou van Rhijn – also a double world champion – made work hard for her rivals as she stormed to a 27.29 win, and former world champion Mandy Francois-Elie (29.06) led the way in the 200m T35-37.

Swiss star Marcel Hug tried to stretch out the field in the men’s 5,000m T54, injecting bursts of pace, but world champion Rawat Tana was always in touch – and it was the Thai who came through to take the win in 10:32.64, with his teammate Prawat Wahoram (10:32.89) just behind in second as Hug (10:33.00) had to settle for third.

The women’s event went to form as multiple Paralympic champion Tatyana McFadden took the tape in 11:56.44 with teammate Amanda McGrory just behind in 11:56.70.

The men’s 1,500m T34/51 was won by Great Britain’s T34 racer Isaac Towers (4:18.64) as multiple world and Paralympic champion Walid Ktila (T34) pulled out the race midway through. South Africa’s Pieter Du Preez (5:54.83) was the first of the T51 racers over the line.

Korea’s T20 Para athlete Kwangsik Lee clocked 2:12.71 over 800m while Ukraine’s T37 Para athlete finished in 2:18.16.

Out in the field regional records fell as the Netherlands’ Lara Baars set a new European mark of 19.34m in the women’s discus F40 and Cameroon’s Christian Gobe set a new shot put F55 African record of 10.49m and there was an African record too for Morocco’s F34 Para athlete Azeddine Nouri who recorded a best of 10.68m.

Austria’s Kevin Pumpa threw 8.95m in the men’s shot put F54, the UAE’s F33 thrower Ahmed Alhousani threw his shot put 7.39m and Frenchman Marcelin Walico threw 10.42m in the F57 class.

South Africa’s Maria Combrink threw 24.80 in the women’s discus F44, Mauritian F37 athlete Anne Anais threw her discus 16.62m, and Ukraine’s F12 thrower Orysia Ilchyna managed a best of 37.56m.

Action continues on Sunday afternoon – the final session of the IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Nottwil, Switzerland.