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World Record Redemption For Medley Team

World Record Redemption For Medley Team
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A year after they were pipped by Great Britain by one hundredth of a second, Australia’s magical medley quartet hit back in the best possible way, claiming the gold medal in world record time at the Para Swimming World Championships in Manchester.

The Mixed 4 x 100m Medley Relay S14 team finished 2.76s ahead of their British rivals and set a new mark of 4:07.71, nearly a full two seconds off the previous record.

“It feels absolutely amazing to break a world record, especially with these guys,” said Madeleine McTernan, who anchored the freestyle leg in 1:00.55.

“That last 25 hurt a lot, but I was so happy to get to the wall quickly, especially after last year when we got silver by 0.01. It was definitely good to redeem ourselves.”

Paralympic 100m Backstroke champion Ben Hance set the pace with 56.94, followed by Jake Michel who clocked 1:04.13 for the breaststroke leg. Paige Leonhardt finished her butterfly leg in 1:06.09.

“I really wanted to go 56 tonight and I did that,” Hance said. “It was very important I go 56 for the team, just to keep the momentum up and start off really well. So I’m glad I did that.”

Michel said his first gold medal felt “unreal, surreal, especially with these guys. They did an awesome job, Benny, Maddie and Paige, they did great.”

Leonhardt said: “We always have an amazing lead after Benny and Jake. I just knew I had to hold on for dear life.”

Watch the World Para Swimming Championships live on 9Now.

Just minutes earlier, Australia was celebrating Rowan Crothers completing the sprint double. The three-time Paralympic medallist led from start to finish in the Men’s 100m Freestyle S10, clocking a blistering time of 51.02, nearly half a second faster than his gold medal-winning time at last year’s Worlds.

Teammate Tom Gallagher also finished on the podium with a personal best time of 52.75 to secure bronze.

Crothers said his wins in the 50 and 100 gave him motivation for the run into Paris 2024.

“Even though I’ve won, I know I’m capable of so much more and that’s got me so excited for the next 12 months,” he said.

Crothers added: “The thing that’s amazing about Paralympic athletes is that we’re not just athletes with a disability, we’re elite athletes. In our environment a disability is nothing more than a challenge, a thing to work through and a thing to find solutions for to swim as fast as possible.

“What I really want back home for everyone, for all the young kids with a disability … is to find that one thing you might be passionate about and just chase it as far as you can.”

Another multi-medallist, Tim Hodge, secured his third of the championships, with bronze in the Men’s 100m Backstroke S9 in 1:02.15, while Brenden Hall finished in seventh in a time of 1:06.35.

Katja Dedekind shaved four seconds off her Heat time to claim fourth in the Women’s 400m Freestyle S13 and Jasmine Greenwood finished in sixth in the Women’s 100m Freestyle S10 with a time of 1:02.26.

Day 1 Wrap: Sprint King Crothers Fires First Shot For Australia 
Day 2 Wrap: Aussie Team Favourite Finally On Top Of The World
Day 3 Wrap: ‘Cobweb Swim’ Jags A Bonus Medal For Dedekind
Day 4 Wrap: ‘Miracle’ Swimmer Bursts Onto The Scene With World Championships Gold
Day 5 Wrap: Golden Duo Bounce Back In Style

By: David Sygall, Paralympics Australia
Posted: 6 August 2023