China’s youngest Paralympian yesterday broke her own world record in the pool at the Tokyo Paralympic Games before winning a gold medal, a day after Norwegian former refugee Salum Ageze Kashafali ran the fastest 100m in the history of the Paralympics.
Dubbed the “Flying Fish,” 16-year-old Jiang Yuyan set an S6 50m butterfly world record of 34.56 seconds in yesterday morning’s heats, knocking 0.30 seconds off the mark she set in winning the 2019 World Championships in London as a 14-year-old.
Jiang, who lost her right arm and right leg after being hit by a truck when she was three, only took up swimming when she was eight.
Photo: AFP
Later in the day, she fulfilled a dream in winning her first Paralympics gold medal in the final.
Records have been falling on a daily basis at the Tokyo Games, and Kashafali on Sunday became the fastest 100m runner in Paralympic history when he crossed the line in 10.46 seconds in the T12 final.
“I don’t know what to say,” the 27-year-old said after the race, dissolving into tears. “I came from nothing. I came from begging on the streets.”
Photo: AFP
The Norwegian, who has a visual impairment, fled the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with his family as a child and took up athletics as a teenager in his new home.
“I have been through so much, from bullets to hunger, and to be here as one of the best means a lot to me,” Kashafali said.
Elsewhere yesterday, play was delayed on all outdoor tennis courts as Tokyo sweated through more summer heat.
The 34 points winners from the women’s 4x100m were awarded their medals a day after their race, following a protest lodged by the US team over its disqualification.
The team thought they had come away with the silver, but the second spot was instead handed to Australia after judges disqualified the US side over an illegal changeover.
Their protest was denied by a referee and an appeal to a jury was also rejected.
Britain’s wheelchair rugby team were meanwhile nursing hangovers yesterday, a day after a shock gold medal, the first time a European team has triumphed in the sport once known as “murderball.”
They upset the odds by beating favorites the USA 54-49 in the final. Japan took bronze after defeating 2016 Rio champions Australia in the third-place match.
“Not in my wildest dreams did I think we’d be coming away with a Paralympic gold medal,” Britain’s Stuart Robinson said.
Jim Roberts, who scored 24 tries in the final to lead his side to victory, was asked how he would celebrate.
“I just hope someone’s got some beer somewhere,” he told the UK’s Channel 4 television.
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