Takuro Yamada denies US sweep

Japan’s Takuro Yamada denied the USA a clean sweep of victories on the final day of the World Para Swimming World Series event in Indianapolis, USA, which concluded on Saturday (21 April).

The competition is the second leg of this year’s World Series, with medal winners based on a standardised points system.

The men’s 100m freestyle was the only event not won by a US swimmer on the final day as Yamada (S9, 882 points) claimed gold.

The Japanese swimmer renewed his rivalry with Mexico’s Luis Andrade (S8, 863 points) in the Indiana University Natatorium pool after the Mexican got the better of Yamada in the 50m freestyle on day two, Friday.

But 24 hours after having to settle for silver behind Andrade, Yamada was celebrating in the 100m freestyle final. Bronze went to Hungary’s Bence Mocsari (S9, 852), who repeated his third-place finish from the 50m final yesterday.

The rest of Saturday’s events were dominated by the USA, as the hosts claimed eight medals, including five golds, on the final day.

There was an all USA podium in the women’s 100m freestyle as McKenzie Coan (S7, 980) took the title ahead of compatriots Michelle Konkoly (S10, 926) and Rebecca Meyers (S13, 900), who won silver and bronze respectively.

The top spot of the men’s 100m butterfly proved to be a battle of the teenagers as 16-year-old Lawrence Sapp (S14, 945) beat South Korea’s 15-year-old Junho Ko (S14, 924) for the win.

Canada’s Gordie Michie (S14, 904) collected his fourth medal of the meet, adding bronze to the two silver medals and the bronze medal he won during the first two days.

The women’s equivalent saw the USA’s Elizabeth Smith (S9, 950) win gold, ahead of Canada’s Angela Marina (S14, 945). The women’s100m butterfly bronze medal went to Ireland’s Ellen Keane (S9, 896), who claimed her third medal of the meet.

Keane’s compatriot Nicole Turner (S6, 893) went one place better in the women’s 50m butterfly as she separated the US pair of Cortney Jordan and Julia Gaffney (both S7) on the podium. Jordan (908) finished ahead of Turner to win gold, while Gaffney (863) claimed bronze.

Evan Austin (S7, 990) took the USA’s gold medal tally to 17 across the three days with victory in the men’s 50m butterfly. The 25-year-old finished ahead of China’s Hong Yang (S6, 846) and Mexico’s Raul Gutierrez Bermudez (S6, 610), who claimed silver and bronze respectively.

More information about the World Para Swimming World Series can be found on World Para Swimming’s website, and full results from Indianapolis are available online.

The next World Series event will be held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, from 26-28 April.

Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy and Sheffield, Great Britain will also host events, before the World Series finale in Berlin, Germany, in June.