IPC Swimming World Championships Day Six: Finals

Tonight’s Finals saw another three World Records on the Penultimate day of the games.

Chinese World and Paralympic champion Tao Zheng (1:12.94) stunned the crowds by lowering his own mark in the men’s 100m backstroke S6, a time that has stood since he won gold at London 2012, this is second gold of the Championships so far.

Now 13-time world champion Belarusian Ihar Boki was also in world breaking form once again in the men’s 100m freestyle S13, Boki’s fifth gold medal – and second new world best – of the week.

Brazilian Daniel Dias kept his clean sheet intact in the men’s 100m breaststroke SB4, winning his sixth gold medal in as many days.

Dias said: “I am very happy with this gold medal. The race in the morning felt like it was going to be a great final and it was. No doubt it was the closest race I’ve ever had, and at such a high performance event like this, the gold medal is going to be defined by just one touch.”

Great Britain’s Tully Kearney (4:39.29) put in a European record performance to win her second gold in the women’s 400m freestyle S9, delighting the home support. Spain’s Nuria Marques Soto (4:49.47) was second and the Netherlands’ Manon Vermarien (4:53.80) third.

Kearney’s teammate Hannah Russell (27.51) impressed in the women’s 50m freestyle S12, just edging Russian 2013 world champion Darya Stukalova (27.53) to the wall. Germany’s Naomi Maike Schnittger (28.29) took bronze.

“I thought that I did have the speed, so it was going to be a very tight race tonight I knew that,” Russell said. “0.02 – you can’t get any closer than that, so I’m really, really happy.”

Keep an eye out for our full coverage of tomorrow’s Finals on Twitter! For a full list of results check out the IPC Swimming website.