IPC Swimming World Championships
12-18 August

World records fall on first morning of Montreal 2013

Three world and four regional records fall on first morning of World Championships. 13 Aug 2013
Imagen
Montreal 2013 Day 1 heats

Swimmers begin their World Championship campaign on day 1 (August 12) of Montreal 2013

ⒸMathieu Pothier
By IPC

The first morning of the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal, Canada got off to a flying start with three world and four regional records set in the pool at the Parc Jean-Drapeau Aquatics Centre.

Russia’s Konstantin Lisenkov was the first to strike breaking his own world record in the heats of the men’s 100m backstroke S8.

The 24 year old Russian, a two-time Paralympic champion in the event, stormed home in 1:04.12 to knock 0.55 seconds off his previous best set at the 2010 World Championships. He qualified fastest ahead of teammate Denis Tarasov and Great Britain’s Oliver Hynd, who set a personal best.

Two-time Beijing 2008 champion Nely Miranda Herrera of Mexico was next to write her name in to the record books breaking the women’s 50m freestyle S4 world record. Her time of 41.72 seconds took more than two seconds off the previous world record set in July 2011 by the Netherlands’ Lisette Teunissen who today qualified third fastest behind the Mexican and Italy’s Arjola Trimi.

Possibly the best swim of the morning session came from Ukraine’s Olga Sviderska (3:46.04) who obliterated a five year old world record in the women’s 200m freestyle S3. She will now start as favourite to land gold and add to the two silver medals she won at London 2012.

In total there were heats in 16 events on the first morning, whilst 24 medal events will take place later this evening.

Big names that were in action in this morning’s heats included Great Britain’s Eleanor Simmonds who qualified fastest in the women’s 400m freestyle S6, an event she is a two-time Paralympic champion in. The 18 year old eased home in 5:33.53, well ahead of Mexico’s Vianney Trejo Delgadillo and Italy’s Emanuela Romano.

Daniel Dias of Brazil, who is targeting six gold medals in Montreal, got his campaign underway by leading the way in the men’s 50m butterfly S5. Dias finished in 35.62 seconds ahead of USA’s Roy Perkins and Great Britain’s Andrew Mullen who set a European record with a time of 37.96.

Norway’s Sarah Louise Rung (46.67) showed her intent to add the women’s 50m butterfly S5 title to the Paralympic gold she won in this event last year by posting the fastest qualification time. She finished ahead of Belarus’s Natalia Shavel and Brazil’s Joana Maria Silva.

Prior to this Championship Australia’s Matthew Cowdrey said he wanted to break the 55 seconds barrier for the men’s 100m freestyle S9.

The multi Paralympic and world champion will get another chance to do so this evening after leading the qualifiers with a time of 56.80.

If this morning heats are anything to go by then tonight’s men’s 100m freestyle S10 could be a classic. USA’s Ian Silverman qualified first in 52.88 seconds, a fingertip ahead of Brazil’s world record holder and Paralympic champion Andre Brasil (52.92). Fellow Brazilian Phelipe Andrews Melo Rodrigues, who won silver behind Brasil in this event at London 2012, will also feature after qualifying third quickest.

New Zealand’s world record holder in the women’s 100m freestyle S10 Sophie Pascoe (1:00.67) will be confident of gold this evening after posting the quickest time in the heats. With Canada’s London 2012 gold medallist Summer Mortimer missing through injury Pascoe will still face stiff competition from another Canadian Aurelie Rivard and France’s Elodie Lorandi who qualified in second and third.

Regional record breakers on the first morning included Australia’s Grant Patterson (3:57.09) who set a Oceanic record in qualifying for tonight’s 200m freestyle S3 and Korea’s Wonsang Cho (1:59.82) who broke the Asian record in the men’s 200m freestyle S14. South Africa’s Adri Visser (58.20) broke the African women’s 50m butterfly S5 record but failed to make the final whilst the same fate fell on Mikyoung Jeon (1:04.17) who, despite setting a new Asian record in the women’s 50m freestyle S4, could only manage ninth spot.

The finals from day one of the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships will start at 17:00 local time in Montreal and will be shown live on www.paralympicsport.tv

The 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships run from 12-18 August and feature around 480 of the world's best athletes from nearly 60 countries - the biggest gathering of swimmers since London 2012. Follow @IPCSwimming on Twitter or like us at Facebook.com/IPCSwimming for behind the scenes pictures, updates on results and world records, or visit the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships live results page.