One of the most keenly anticipated sports at the Paralympics is the Swimming.
A mainstay of the Paralympics since the Rome 1960 Games, nowadays Swimmers can have physical, intellectual or visual impediments.
Pretty much identical to traditional competitions, Paralympic Swimming has four strokes: butterfly, freestyle, back and breast stroke, with medleys and team relays. The exceptions are the MS3 and MS4 categories, which don’t swim butterfly. There are ten lanes in total, each one measuring 2.5 metres in width.
The expectations this year are enormous, as some big names are heading out to Rio. One of them is 21-year-old Brit Ellie Simmonds, who competes in the MS6 class, for short athletes with arm amputations or moderate motor coordination problems. Ellie broke the world record for the 200m medley twice in 2015.
Another star is Brazilian two-time Paralympic champion Daniel Dias, who already has 10 Paralympic medals, in addition to his world record in the 200m freestyle.
The Swimming competitions are guaranteed to provide us with lots of thrills to take the breath away (literally!). If you don’t want to miss out, keep your eyes peeled, because the heats get under way on 8 September at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium, in Barra da Tijuca.
To find out more, access: www.rio2016.com
