 |
|
David Roberts of Great Britain gestures after winning the men's 50m freestyle S7 final during the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games at the National Aquatics Center in Beijing on September 14, 2008. [Agencies]
|
Briton David Roberts continued his personal gold rush by winning his 11th Paralympic gold in the men's 50m freestyle S7 category last night.
"Winning 11 is the one I came here for, which puts me equal with my compatriot Tanni Grey-Thompson," he said.
"It's something I didn't believe would ever happen."
His young teammate, 13-year-old Eleanor Simmons, grabbed her second gold of the Games in the women's 400m freestyle S6 with an amazing swim of 5 min 41.34 sec, 6.92 sec faster than the former world mark.
Yesterday saw 18 gold medals divided among 16 countries, with Britain and Canada winning two each.
Forty-three-year-old Swede Anders Olsson defended his Paralympic title and won his second gold of the Games in the men's 400m freestyle S6, shaving 0.26 sec off the world record he set four months ago.
"It was like a dream. I had a very good start in the race, but I didn't expect to break the world record," Olsson told The Paralympian.
Another swimmer who snatched a second gold in Beijing was Greece's Charalampos Taiganidis.
He swam a world record 59.85 sec to win the men's 100m backstroke S13.
"I am extremely happy that I broke the one-minute barrier. I have won five medals over here and I hope to win another medal for my country in my last event tomorrow," he said.
In the men's 50m freestyle S11, Spainard Enhamed Enhamed secured his fourth gold and set a world record of 25.82 sec, bettering the 20-year-old mark by 0.12.
"This is my last event. The past week has been the best of my life. I am leaving with four gold and two world records, which has surpassed all I could have dreamed of," the visually impaired swimmer said.
The final 16 gold medals will be decided today as Paralympic swimming wraps up.