Paralympics: Taliso Engel Rips World Record in Men’s SB13 100 Breaststroke

Aug 24, 2021; Tokyo, Japan; The national flag of Japan and the Paralympic flag behind the Paralympic flame at the end of the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Mandatory Credit: Joel Marklund/OIS Handout Photo via USA TODAY Sports

Photo Courtesy: Joel Marklund/OIS Handout Photo via USA TODAY Sports

Paralympics: Taliso Engel Rips World Record in Men’s SB13 100 Breaststroke

Germany’s Taliso Engel set the world record in the men’s SB13 100 breaststroke at the Tokyo Paralympics Wednesday morning.

Engel clocked in at 1:03.52 in the first semifinal heat, which trims .06 off the world record set in 2013 by Ukraine’s Oleksii Fedyna. Engel also took down Fedyna’s Paralympic record from the 2012 London Games (1:04.30). Also under that mark was American David Abrahams, who clocked in at 1:04.04 in the second heat. That slices .03 off his American record/Americas record set in the spring by the Harvard swimmer.

When you advance to the finals, @NBCOlympics is your first stop. David Abrahams swims to a 1:04.04 in the men’s 200m breaststroke SB13, second fastest time of the morning. pic.twitter.com/H6oXwxmQDr

— U.S. Paralympics Swimming (@USParaSwimming) September 1, 2021

Engel’s was one of four Paralympic records set on the morning of the eighth day of competition in Tokyo.

Among them was Antonio Fantin, who set the men’s S6 100 freestyle Paralympic record for the second times at this Games. Off the front of the 400 free relay 34 points, Fantin went 1:04.20 to set the Paralympic record on Monday. Wednesday, he was four-hundredths quicker to grab the top seed in 1:04.16, 1.78 seconds ahead of the field. Fantin went 1:03.76 in setting the world record in May.

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The Paralympic record in the men’s S5 50 free was set twice, both by swimmers from Canada. Zheng Tao went 31.81 in the first heat of two to set the mark, then saw it taken by Yuan Weiyi a heat later in 31.30. They improve on the PR from Daniel de Faria Dias at the 2012 Games (32.05). The Brazilian de Faria Dias is the third seed in the final showdown after a 32.65.

Karolina Pelendritou continued her outstanding Games with another European record. She clocked in at 1:24.54 in the women’s SB11 100 breast to be the top seed behind Ma Jia of China. Ma is the world-record holder and was .07 off the PR in 1:23.09.

Earlier in the meet, Pelendritou set the world record in prelims of the S11 50 free at 29.92, then the Cypriot swimmer was quicker in the final at 29.79 to take bronze behind Ma and countrywoman Li Guizhi.

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