Dias StealsShow for Brazil on Fourth Day of Parapan Swimming

Daniel Dias took first place in the 100m Breaststroke SB4 and the 200m Individual Medley SM6. 17 Nov 2011
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Daniel Dias competing

Daniel Dias competes in the men's 100m Breaststroke SB4 final at Beijing 2008.

ⒸGetty Images
By IPC

The fourth day of Swimming at the 2011 Parapan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico was the Daniel Dias show as the Brazilian claimed his fourth and fifth gold medals of the Games.

Having already claimed the 50m Butterfly S5, the 4 x50m Freestyle Relay and the 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay in the first three days of competition, the four-time Paralympic and 11 time world champion first took the Parapan title in the 100m Breaststroke SB4 on Wednesday (16 November) before an hour later claiming gold in the 200m Individual Medley SM6.

In his first race of the day Dias (1:37.31), the Americas record holder, easily won the men’s 100m Breaststroke SB4 ahead of Colombia’s Moises Fuentes Garcia (1:42.64) and Brazil’s Francisco Avelinho (1:54.69) in silver and bronze respectively.

Shortly after Dias was top of the podium again, this time in the men’s 200m Individual Medley SM6. His time (2:51.00) was a new Americas record and knocked nearly 12 seconds off the previous record held by his teammate Adriano de Lima (3:28.82) who finished in bronze. Silver went to Colombia’s Daniel Londono (3:08.02).

It was another successful day at the Scotiabank Aquatics Centre for the Brazilians who took home 14 medals, four of which were gold to cement their place at the top of the overall medals table.

For the fourth successive day, the swimming venue was full of passionate Mexican fans who were on their feet celebrating as early as the first race. Enrique Perez (32.87) stormed home to claim the men’s 50m Freestyle well ahead of USA’s Daniel Kamber (34.10) and Brazil’s Ronaldo Santos (34.22) in silver and bronze respectively.

The next race saw a Brazilian one, two in the men’s 400m Freestyle S10. Andre Brasil (4:16.56) claimed his fourth gold of the Games with his teammate Phelipe Rodrigues (4:30.04) taking silver. Bronze went to Argentina’s Bruno Lemaire (4:33.40).

What happened next had the home crowd in raptures as Mexico stormed to three consecutive gold medals and also claimed six out of a possible nine medals.

Arnulfo Castorena (58.44) set a Games record in the men’s 50m Breaststroke SB2 finishing clear of his teammate Christopher Tronco (1:08.81). Bronze went to Brazil’s Genezi Andrade (1:20.02).

The women’s 50m Breaststroke SB2 was also won in a Games record time by Haidee Aceves Perez (1:41.58). It was another Mexican one, two as her teammate Fabiola Ramirez (1:50.14) took silver and USA’s Kayla Wheeler (2:25.49) the bronze.

Gustavo Sanchez (56.50) claimed his second gold and third medal of the Games setting an Americans record in the 50m Breaststroke SB3. Brazil’s Moises Batista (1:03.29) took silver, while bronze was won by Mexico’s Omar Osorio Salazar (1:03.36).

Colombia’s Navier Ome Ramos (2:21.25) won gold in the women’s 100m Breaststroke SB4, taking it ahead of USA’s Jessica Rogers (2:28.86) in silver and Brazil’s Leticia Ferreira (2:32.68) in bronze.

Vanilton Filho (4:45.14) of Brazil joined the growing group of multi-medallists at these Games taking his third gold and fourth medal in the men’s 400m Freestyle S9. Just behind in silver was Argentina’s Marco Pulleiro (4:46.43) while bronze went to Mexico’s Arturo Larraga (4:54.99).

USA’s Anna Johannes (5:09.18) claimed her third gold and fourth medal of the Games in the women’s 400m Freestyle S9. She pushed the Brazilian duo of Camille Cruz (5:32.78) and Susana Ribeiro (5:35.96) into silver and bronze respectively.

The men’s 100m Backstroke S14 was an extremely tight affair which was just edged by Canada’s Adam Rahier (1:06.63) ahead of Venezuela’s Alberto Vera Moron (1:06.83). Bronze went to Brazil’s Gutemberg Ferreaz (1:11.60)

Canada’s secured its second gold of the day in the women’s 100m Backstroke S14 through Kirstie Kasko (1:20.10). Her teammate Jana Murphy (1:21.23) took silver with Mexico’s Mariana Diaz de La Vega (1:27.48) the bronze.

The final race of the day was one of the best in the men’s 100m Breaststroke SB11. Cuba’s Yunerki Ortega (1:22.43) took nearly half a second off the Games record to take gold and also finishing under the previous best Parapans time was silver medallist Brayan Urbano Herrera (1:22.59) of Colombia. Herrera’s teammate Leider Lemus Rajas (1:23.26) took bronze.

In total there are 85 medal events in seven days of swimming competition at the Parapan American Games involving 180 swimmers from 14 countries. On Thursday (16 November) swimmers will contest seven medal events.