Paralympic and Euros winners shine in Yokohama

Spain’s Michelle Alonso Morales and Great Britain’s Louise Fiddes made Yokohama look like an extension of the Dublin 2018 European Championships when they met over the weekend at the Japan Para Swimming Games.

The three-day competition ended on Monday (24 September) and attracted more than 40 international swimmers to the city, including Paralympic and world champions.

Fiddes had beaten Morales in the women’s 100m breaststroke SB14 final in Ireland last month. But it was a different story on day one in Japan with the Spaniard taking gold (1:15.08) followed by the Brit and Japan’s Mikika Serizawa.

World Series winner Fiddes then bounced back to take victories in both the women’s 100m butterfly S14 and 200m freestyle S14.

More gold for Paralympic champions

There was also intense competition in the S9 events between Australia’s six-time Paralympic champion Ellie Cole and Great Britain’s European champion Toni Shaw.

Cole won the women’s 100m backstroke (1:13.13) with Shaw in second and New Zealand’s Tupou Neiufi in third.

Shaw was the number one in the women’s 400m freestyle (4:46.92) with Cole taking silver and Canada’s Katarina Roxon bronze.

Other Paralympic winners going home with gold medals include Australia’s Brenden Hall (men’s 100m backstroke S9), Canada’s Aurelie Rivard (women’s 100m freestyle S10), Colombia’s Carlos Serrano (50m butterfly S7) and USA’s McKenzie Coan (women’s 50m butterfly S7).

Japanese fans had a lot to celebrate with names like Keichi Nakajima (men’s 100m freestyle S14) and Mei Ichinose (women’s 100m butterfly S9) in action as the team prepares for the Asian Para Games which begin on 6 October in Jakarta, Indonesia.