USA and international stars head to Indianapolis

The 2019 World Para Swimming World Series returns this week, with the second stop taking place from Thursday to Saturday at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis, USA.

This is the third consecutive year that the US city has hosted a World Series event. The competition is currently in its third season, bringing together some of the world’s best swimmers to compete across four continents from February to June.

Around 160 swimmers from 19 countries will be in action in Indianapolis. Thirteen-time Paralympic champion Jessica Long and USA’s 2018 Para swimmer of the year Rebecca Meyers lead the home nation.

Seven-time Paralympic gold medallist Andre Brasil of Brazil and Italy’s two-time world champion Simone Barlaam are among the international stars competing in this week’s World Series.

At last year’s competition in Indianapolis, 17 countries were represented by 198 swimmers. Team USA excelled in the water winning a total of 26 medals. Standout performances included Samantha Tubbs, Gia Pergolini and Leanne Smith, who all set new National records.

The Indiana University Natatorium is a 2,000 square-metre facility with an eight-lane, 50-metre competition pool, as well as a six-lane, 50-metre teaching and training pool and a world-class diving well. The Natatorium is the largest, permanent swimming competition facility in the United States.

The venue is located in downtown Indianapolis and was built in 1982. Its main competition pool has seen a fair share of elite tournaments, with 136 USA and 18 world records having been broken there.

The World Para Swimming Points System will be used at World Para Swimming World Series competitions. All athlete’s results at each world series event will be calculated using a standardised points system. This will ensure that the overall World Para Swimming World Series winner will be the best performing athlete over the duration of the series, meaning that every performance counts.

Indianapolis marks the second of seven stops on the circuit, with the first host city being Melbourne, Australia. Following Indianapolis, the World Series will go to Sao Paulo, Brazil, from 25 to 27 April and Glasgow, Great Britain, from 25 to 28 April.