Home nation para-swimmers were a dominant force at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games winning a quarter of all gold medals on offer.
England’s Tom Hamer kicked things off in style on the opening night of swimming finals as he claimed gold in a world record time of 1:55.88 in the Men’s S14 200m Freestyle.
Hamer was joined by fellow S14s Jack Thomas and Alex Rosser, both representing Team Wales. They finished fifth and sixth respectively behind a trio of Australians.
Next to take to the podium was Paralympic Champion Eleanor Robinson (England), in a reduced field of just four athletes, she was on form and sealed gold in the Women’s S7 50m Butterfly.
Next to take to the podium was Paralympic Champion Eleanor Robinson (England), in a reduced field of just four athletes, she was on form and sealed gold in the Women’s S7 50m Butterfly.
Alice Tai (England) was the next home nation para-swimming medallist, this time gold in the Women’s S9 100m Backstroke. Team Scotland’s Toni Shaw kicked off her Commonwealth Games debut in style as she made the final alongside Tai and was edged out of the medals finishing in fifth and setting a new lifetime best of 1:16.19.
The Men’s S9 100m Freestyle saw a silver medal for Lewis White (England) he was beaten to the touch by Australia’s Paralympic Champion Timothy Disken but set a new lifetime best of 56.77.
Jacob Leach made his Team England Commonwealth Games debut and finished eighth in the floodlit final.
Alice Tai collected her second medal of the Games, silver in the Women’s S9 100m Freestyle and did so in 1:03.07, a new lifetime best. Toni Shaw lowered her best time for the event and posted a time of 1:04.19 finishing fifth.
Toni Shaw achieved yet another personal best swim of 2:38.38 in the Women’s SM10 200m Individual Medley that saw her ranked sixth.
Beth Johnston (Scotland) just missed out on a finals swim, she placed ninth after her heats swim.
Shaw rounded off her Gold Coast programme with a seventh-place finish in the Women’s SB9 100m Breaststroke.
The final para-swimming event of the 2018 Commonwealth Games was the Men’s S9 100m Backstroke. Jacob Leach ranked fifth and Lewis White was sixth.
You can see all of these athletes and the rest of the British Para-Swimming elite in action at next month’s British Para-Swimming International Meet in Sheffield – for more details click here and for tickets click here.