Tokyo Paralympics: Hong Kong’s Chan Yui-lam just misses out on 100m butterfly medal
- Hong Kong teen touches home in 1:06.65 just behind Australian duo Paige Leonhardt and Ruby Storm
- Russian swimmer Valeriia Shabalina bests her own world record with 1:03.59 gold medal time as Hongkonger Cheung Ho-ying finishes eighth
Chan, who had set a new Paralympics record in this morning’s first heat in 1:07.20, clocked in at 1:06.65 in the final, not quite enough in a race led in world record pace by Russian Paralympic Committee’s Valeriia Shabalina.
The Russian finished in a new world mark of 1:03.59 followed by the Australian pair of Paige Leonhardt in 1:05.48 and Ruby Storm in 1:06.50 ahead of Chan.
The 17-year-old Chan was joined by fellow Games debutant Cheung Ho-ying in the final after the 18-year-old finished fifth in their heat in 1:10.69.
That was the eighth fastest time over the two heats at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on the opening day of competition.
Cheung finished the final in eighth place in a time of 1:11.29.
Chan’s Paralympic record did not last long. The Russian Paralympic Committee’s world record holder Shabalina took her Games record back in the next heat with a starting 1:05.37 swim, also qualifying her as the fastest for the final, before beating her world record of 1:03.68 set in 2019.
The 17-year-old had long been tipped for Paralympics success after a stand-out Para Asian Games in 2018 where she won gold, silver and bronze.
She followed up with bronze in the 100m fly at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships, which she took in 1:06.45.
Both Chan and Cheung have more swims to come in Tokyo, with Chan in action again in the women’s 200m freestyle on Friday.
She is also set to compete in the 100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, 200m individual medley and the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay at these Games.
Hong Kong’s Paralympics continue on Thursday in the Japanese capital, where the focus will turn to the wheelchair fencing competition.
Alison Yu Chui-yee, Justine Charissa Ng and Chung Yuen-ping are all in action in the women’s individual épée where the medals will be decided at the Makuhari Messe Hall.
Yu, 37, is looking to add to her 11 Paralympic medals dating back to her Games debut at Athens 2004. She won silver in the individual épée and the team épée at the Rio 2016 Games, the latter coming alongside Ng.
Hong Kong’s table tennis players Ng Mui-wui and Wong Ting Ting will also look to build on their winning starts to the pool stage when they play their second matches at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
