Rio 2016 preview: Women’s 50m freestyle S5

Brazil’s Joana Maria Silva and Spain’s Teresa Perales will go head-to-head and extend their rivalry on Monday (12 September).

Silva heads into this race in front of her home crowd as the current world champion. At London 2012 she finished fourth, but in Rio she wants to claim the podium and add a Paralympic medal to her tally.

Beijing 2008 Paralympic gold medallist Perales will be Silva’s biggest competitor in Rio, especially since she has sealed the title in front of the Brazilian at the 2015 European Open Championships.

Apart from the Spanish and Brazilian top seeds, Czech Republic’s world No. 3 Bela Trebinova is also looking like a strong candidate for a place on the podium. Norway’s Sarah-Louise Rung could challenge too.

All the swimming action will be played out at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium between 9-17 September.