South African Paralympian breaks breaststroke world record at Nedbank Championships

From The Weekend Post in South Africa:

Nelson Mandela Bay‘s Paralympic swimming sensation Kevin Paul (pictured) has notched up world records in the national Nedbank Championships for the Physically Disabled being held in Port Elizabeth.

Beijing Paralympics gold medallist Paul, 17, was competing in the S9 classification, having been born without his left pectoral muscle and with a smaller left hand and shorter left arm.

SA Sports Association for Physically Disabled (Sasapd) general manager Iris Cunningham said he had combined speed, rhythm and power April 6 to clock a world best of 32,09 seconds in the 50m breaststroke – inside the previous world mark of 32,49.

This effort followed Paul‘s world record of 2:30,89 in the 200m breaststroke, set on April 6 at the annual sports showpiece.

More than 800 physically disabled and visually impaired athletes from 12 regional associations are striving for glory at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in athletics, swimming, archery, football, goal ball, boccia and power lifting.

Two other disabled athletes, Charl Bouwer, of Kimberley, and Shireen Sapiro, of Krugersdorp, have broken international swimming records in the competition, which started on Saturday and ends tomorrow.

Bouwer had the statisticians burning the midnight oil after smashing the 200m backstroke world record last night.

Bouwer, who competes in the visually impaired S13 classification, has attracted much attention since his world record-breaking feat in the final of the 400m freestyle at the Beijing Olympics and his championship campaign has been no different.

His evening effort of 2 min 20,77 seconds in the 200m backstroke eclipsed the previous world best. He earlier won the 800m freestyle in a world record-smashing 9:01,33.

Sapiro, Paralympic gold medallist in the 100m backstroke (S10 minimal disability) provided the fourth world record by clocking 2;36.06 in the 200m backstroke final.