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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Canada strikes gold in Paralympic pool

Mortimer, Huot swim to centre podiums

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 09/1/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Canada's Summer Mortimer celebrates winning gold in the women's 50m freestyle. (KIRSTY WIGGLESWORTH / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

LONDON -- Canada continued to pile up the hardware in the pool on Day 2 of the London Paralympics.

Hamilton's Summer Mortimer set a world record in the women's S10 50-metre freestyle event Friday, highlighting a three-medal performance from Canada's swimmers.

Mortimer won her second medal of the games, taking gold in the S10 50-metre freestyle in 28.10 seconds.

Sophie Pascoe of New Zealand was second in 28.24 while Elodie Lorandi of France was third in 28.67.

The S10 classification is defined as minimal physical impairment. Mortimer broke most of the bones in her feet in a trampoline accident in 2008.

"It hasn't hit me yet that I won gold," Mortimer said. "It's surreal. It's great I couldn't be happier. I wanted this race, I was mad at anybody who was going to try and take it from me. That worked. Pure hardcore determination."

Her victory comes a day after fellow Canadian Benoit Huot also won gold in the pool in world-record time.

He finished the men's S10 200-metre individual medley in two minutes 10.01 seconds to earn Canada's first gold of the Games.

Mortimer won a silver in the women's 200 IM on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Calgary's Brianna Nelson captured a silver medal Friday in the women's S7 50-metre butterfly while Nathan Stein of Maple Ridge, B.C., took silver in the men's S10 50 freestyle.

Nelson, who was seeded 10th entering the race, finished in a time of 36.03 seconds. Australian Jacqueline Freney won the gold in 35.16.

"It feels really good," Nelson said. "I wasn't expecting that at all, in any event. The strategy was just to go and not think of anything. Spin the arms and just kick and go. This is really overwhelming."

Stein raced to silver in 23.58 while Andre Brasil of Brazil won gold in a world-record time of 23.16.

"First Paralympics, can't ask for more," Stein said. "I tried to stick with Andre. He is an amazing swimmer. I went a lot faster than I thought I was going to go. The goal was to go 23.9 at the Games and to go 23.5: nothing but good news."

Canada added a bronze on the track, as Virginia McLachlan of Windsor, Ont., finished third in the women's T35 200 metres in a time of 34.31 seconds. The classification is for athletes who suffer from cerebral palsy but are able to run unassisted. Liu Ping of China took gold in 32.72 seconds while Italy's Oxana Corso won silver in 33.68 seconds.

-- The Canadian Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 1, 2012 C4

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