Alonso, Toeters clash to highlight swimming finals at Rio 2016

Spain’s Paralympic champion Michelle Alonso Morales broke her 100m breaststroke SB14 Paralympic record from London 2012 on Wednesday (14 September), as four more marks fell at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.

Morales (1:13.05) broke her Paralympic record by nearly four seconds. Her closest competitor from the heats, Dutch world champion Magda Toeters (1:17.83), finished second to set-up an exciting race this evening.

Great Britain’s Bethany Firth (1:18.19), a winner of three golds from Rio, was third.

The Chinese duo of Wenpan Huang and Tingshen Li exchanged blows in the heats of the men’s 50m breaststroke SB2. Li (55.16) first broke the 12-year-old Paralympic record from Athens 2004 in heat one, swiftly followed by Huang (52.48) in the second. Huang also added the world record that belonged to Li.

Their compatriot Chaowen Huang (55.74) was third. Mexico’s Arnulfo Castorena, the former Paralympic record holder, was also safely through. Ukraine’s Dmytro Vynohradets claimed a European record of 56.35.

Belarus’ world champion Ihar Boki (23.73) will be hoping to improve on his 50m freestyle S13 silver medal from London 2012, buoyed by a new Paralympic record set in the heat. Boki is going for his fourth gold from Rio 2016 and the ninth title of his career.

There is a strong medal chance for Brazil with Carlos Farrenberg (24.41), the World Championships silver medallist, qualifying second. Uzbekistan’s Muzzafar Tursunkhujaev (24.48) was third with a new Asian record.

Two more Chinese swimmers led their heats on Wednesday morning.

Jiao Cheng (59.87) was the leading swimmer in the women’s 50m breaststroke SB3. Ukraine’s Olga Sviderska (1:01.31) was second, followed by Mexico’s World Championships bronze medallist Patricia Valle (1:01.34) in third. China’s Qiuping Peng (1:13.95) set a new SB2 Paralympic record.

Zhipeng Jin (49.52) went quickest in the men’s 50m breaststroke SB3, ahead of Japan’s Takayuki Suzuki (49.71). Spain’s Miguel Luque (49.79) was third.

Canada’s Katarina Roxon (1:21.27) set a new Americas record to take the fastest time in the women’s 100m breaststroke S8. Ireland’s Ellen Keane (1:23.64) was second, ahead of Poland’s Paula Wozniak (1:25.21).

British World Championships silver medallist Scott Quin qualified for the men’s 100m breaststroke SB14 final with a new Paralympic record of 1:06.65. That was just a few tenths away from the world record held by his teammate Aaron Moores (1:07.25), who was second. Dutch world champion Marc Evers (1:07.67), searching for his second medal of Rio 2016, was third fastest. Defending Japanese champion Yasuhiro Tanaka (1:08.65) also advanced.

Great Britain’s Jonathan Fox (4:51.10) went through quickest in the men’s 400m freestyle S7, ahead of debutant teammate Michael Jones (4:58.50) who was third quickest. Ukraine’s World Championships bronze medallist Marian Kvasnytsia (4:58.39) was second.

Azerbaijan’s Raman Salei (1:01.58) will go for his country’s first swimming gold as the fastest from the men’s 100m backstroke S12. The USA’s Tucker Dupree (1:01.61), a medallist from both the Worlds and Paralympics, was second. Ukraine’s Sergii Klippert (1:01.72) was third.

Ukraine’s Anna Stetsenko (27.90) will face the Uzbek duo of Shokhsanamkhon Toshpulatova (28.21) and Muslima Odilova (28.37) in the final of the women’s 50m freestyle S13.

Live coverage and results of swimming is available at Paralympic.org. Live updates will also be posted to IPC Swimming’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.