Record Holders Set for IPC Swimming World Championships
Many athletes who hold World records are preparing themselves for another high-energy competition at the upcoming 2010 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming World Championships in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
Taking place from 15-21 August, many of the athletes set their records at previous competitions like the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, 2009 IPC Swimming European Championships in Iceland, 2009 IPC Swimming World Championships Short Course in Brazil, and the 2010 BT Paralympic World Cup in Great Britain.
Mirjam de Koning-Peper from the Netherlands for example has the World record in the Women’s 50m Freestyle (S6) and the Paralympic record in the Women’s 800m Freestyle. The athlete has multiple medals to her name, including two gold and two silver from the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games in the Women’s 100m Backstroke, 50m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle and the 400m Freestyle respectively.
A name that is very familiar in Paralympic Sport is South Africa’s Natalie du Toit, who broke more than a handful of records this year, including in the Women’s 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m and Freestyle (S9), and in the 50m, 100m and 200m Butterfly. Her string of records and medals will be tested once again in Eindhoven among many other elite athletes.
Other athletes like USA’s Mallory Weggemann (S7) and Singapore’s Pin Xiu Yip (S3) hold multiple records in the Freestyle and Backstroke events respectively and will also be at the World Championships.
On the men’s side, Brazil’s Andre Brasil holds the World record in the Men’s 50m, 100m, 200m and 800m Freestyle (S10), the 50m Backstroke and 100m Butterfly. Brasil’s strong performance drove him to take four gold medals and one silver at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.
Great Britain’s Sascha Kindred brings his Swimming talent to the pool, as well as several World records around his neck including in the Men’s 100m Butterfly (S6) and Paralympic record in the 200m Individual Medley (SM6). Kindred first competed at the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games, where he took the silver medal in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke (SB7).
Other competing athletes with records include South Africa’s Kevin Paul and Australia’s Peter Leek. Paul holds World records in the Men’s 200m Breaststroke (SB9) and the 400m Individual Medley (SM10), while Leek holds World records in the Men’s 100m and 200m Butterfly (S8), and the 200m and 400m Individual Medley (SM8).
To read more about Paralympic Swimming athletes, check out the all new full biography section of the IPC’s website at http://www.paralympic.org/Athletes/Athlete_Biographies/.
A total of 655 athletes from 54 different countries will be participating inside the Pieter van den Hoogenband Swimming Stadium, competing for the gold, silver and bronze medal in their respective event. The number of participating athletes and countries in Eindhoven will be one of the largest of any previous Swimming World Championships.
For more information about the 2010 IPC Swimming World Championships and to purchase tickets to the event, please visit www.wcswimming2010.com.
For more information about IPC Swimming, please visit the official website at www.ipc-swimming.org.
To find the qualification rankings for IPC Swimming, please visit http://www.ipc-swimming.org/rankings/.
Become a fan of the 2010 IPC Swimming World Championships on Facebook! Visit www.facebook.com/IPCSwimming.
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Notes to the Editor:
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is the global governing body of the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, and serves as the International Federation for nine sports, for which it supervises and co-ordinates the World Championships and other competitions. The IPC is committed to enabling Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to developing sport opportunities for all persons with a disability from the beginner to elite level. In addition, the IPC aims to promote the Paralympic values, which include courage, determination, inspiration and equality.
Founded on 22 September 1989, the IPC is an international non-profit organization formed and run by 167 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) from five regions and four disability specific international sports federations (IOSDs). The IPC Headquarters and its management team are located in Bonn, Germany.
For further information, please contact Eva Werthmann, IPC Media Manager on e-mail: eva.werthmann@paralympic.org or go to www.paralympic.org or www.ParalympicSport.TV.
