Huang nets fourth swimming gold at Rio Paralympics
Rio de Janeiro, Sep 16 (IANS) Huang Wenpan celebrated his fourth victory in Rio’s pool as China added another nine golds to its Paralympic Games medal tally here.
Huang shattered the world record to win the 200m freestyle S3 final in three minutes and 9.04 seconds at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium on Thursday, reports Xinhua.
The 21-year-old’s time was 7.41 seconds faster than the previous record set by his countryman Li Hanhua in 2010.
Despite his extraordinary time, Huang was pushed to the limit by Ukraine’s Dmytro Vynohradets, who grabbed silver, just 0.73sec behind. Li took bronze in 3:23.10.
Huang, who was born with cerebral palsy, has also won the 50m breaststroke SB2, 50m freestyle S3 and the mixed 4x50m freestyle 20 points at the Games.
His latest triumph was one of four swimming gold medals won by China on the eighth day of competition here.
Others to secure victories were Xie Qing, Zou Liankang and Xu Jialing.
Xie claimed the second Paralympic gold medal of her career – eight years after the first – by winning the 100m freestyle.
The visually impaired 28-year-old clocked one minute and 8.3 seconds to beat compatriot Li Guizhi by 28 hundredths of a second. Liesette Bruinsma of the Netherlands took bronze in 1:08.55.
Xie’s first Paralympic Games triumph came in the same race at the Beijing 2008 Games. She finished fifth in the event in London four years ago.
Thursday’s victory gave Xie her second medal at these Games after her bronze in the women’s 400m freestyle S11 on Saturday.
Zou earned his second gold medal of the Rio Paralympics, breaking the world record in the 50m backstroke S2 final.
The 21-year-old finished in 47.17 seconds, beating his previous benchmark of 49.52.
China’s Liu Benying took silver in 48.84 and Serhii Palamarchuk bronze in 50.23.
Zou also claimed gold in the 100m backstroke S2 and silver in the 200m freestyle S2 at these Games.
Xu became one of the youngest gold medallists here when she won the 100m butterfly S9 final.
Xu, who turned 14 last month, finished in one minute 7.90 seconds, 10 hundredths of a second faster than Spain’s Sarai Gascon.
Zsofia Konkoly of Hungary claimed bronze in 1:09.21.
Xu, who lost her left arm in a car accident when she was six, also claimed a bronze medal here in the women’s 400m freestyle S9.
Meanwhile China won its seventh wheelchair fencing gold medal by defeating Hong Kong, China, in the final of the women’s epee team event.
Zou Xufeng, Zhou Jingjing and Rong Jing defeated Yu Chui Yee, Chan Yui Chong and Ng Justine Charissa 45-35 at Carioca 3 arena.
Hungary beat Poland 45-44 in the bronze medal match.
In athletics, Hu Jianwen leapt 6.64 meters to claim gold in the men’s long jump T38.
His countryman Zhong Huanghao secured silver with 6.59m while South Africa’s Dyan Neille Buis grabbed bronze with a best jump of 6.58m.
“I am very happy and proud of this performance for my country,” Zhong said.
“I’m going to compete in the 400m tomorrow and my goal is to finish in the top three.”
China smashed the world record to secure gold in the women’s 4x400m T53/54 final.
Li Yingjie, Liu Wenjun, Zhou Hongzhuan and Zou Lihong finished in three minutes 32.11 seconds to beat the previous record of 3:40.66 also set by China last year.
China also set a new world record to win the women’s 4x100m T35-38 final. The Chinese team of Jiang Fenfen, Chen Junfei, Li Yingli and Wen Xiaoyan crossed the line in 50.81 seconds to eclipse the previous benchmark of 51.63 seconds set by Britain in June.
And Wang Jun grabbed her first Paralympic gold medal when she clinched the women’s shot put F35 title with a world record throw.
The 26-year-old registered a best effort of 13.91 meters to beat the previous record of 13.05m set by Ukraine’s Mariia Pomazan in October last year.
Pomazan took silver with 13.59m while Brazil’s Marivana Oliveira pocketed bronze with 9.28.
Born with cerebral palsy, Pomazan’s only previous Paralympic gold medal came at the Beijing 2008 Games when she won the discus F42-46 title.
