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Tokyo Paralympics 2021: More medals as Australia continues wonderful form at pool

Julian LindenNews Corp Australia Sports Newsroom
Matt Levy claimed a bronze medal for Australia.
Camera IconMatt Levy claimed a bronze medal for Australia. Credit: Supplied

Australia’s Paralympic swimmers will be presented with their silver medals in the women’s relay in Tokyo on Monday night after organisers dismissed an overnight protest from the United States over their disqualification.

The Australian combination of Ellie Cole, Isabelle Vincent, Emily Beecroft and Ashleigh McConnell combined to finish the 34points event in third place but were promoted to the silver medal position, behind Italy, after the Americans - who touched the wall first - were disqualified.

US team officials lodged an appeal against their disqualification, prompting organisers to delay the medal presentation until Monday, but the protest was rejected by the jury, meaning Australia will get silver.

Australia’s swimmers are now poised to overtake the incredible medal haul from their Olympic team mates with the competition now at the halfway point.

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Comparing the two events is of course an exercise in futility because there are many more races at the Paralympics than the Olympics but that should not detract from the amazing performances that have occurred at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre this week.

With five of the 10 days of swimming events still to go, the Dolphins have already won 19 medals in the pool, almost matching the 21 won by Australia at the recent Olympics.

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The one Aussie who did make it to the podium on Sunday to collect his prize was Jake Michel, who won silver in the men’s 50m breaststroke SB14 class, for swimmers with intellectual impairments.

Michel, unrelated to Australian boccia player Dan, is one of the tallest swimmers ever to represent Australia, standing two metres tall, and he used his height advantage to good effect, posting a slick time of 1:04.28.

Only a world record (1:03.77) from Japanese star Naohide Yamaguchi denied him the gold.

“That was a good race. Yamaguchi is a really good talent. I did the best I could so I’m really happy with that,” Michel said.

“I tried to push him, wanted to give him some pressure, but he’s very good at being under that pressure. He’s a talent.”

Five Paralympic medals in the pool for Australia

If gold medals were awarded for the craziest post-race comments, then Australia’s Paralympic swimmers would be on the top step of the podium every time.

Lakeisha Patterson set the standard after revealing she was “more fried than a chook from KFC” after winning her 400m final but she’s been overtaken by her teammate Grant Patterson (no relation), affectionately known as Scooter.

Scooter (bronze) and his great mate Ahmed Kelly (silver) won their first Paralympic medals in Saturday’s 150m individual medley but it was Patterson’s side-splitting description about the depths of their fierce rivalry that was gold-plated.

“We even had a race to the toilet this afternoon to see who could poo first,” he said.

Jokes aside, the pair were both over the moon at getting on the podium together.

Scooter, who has a form of dwarfism, has become something of a cult figure in Australia because of his laid-back, larrikin approach to life.

He cracks jokes endlessly and rides around on a tricycle, but he’s also deadly serious about his commitment to swimming.

When he missed selection for the Australian Paralympic team for Rio he almost quit but kept training in the belief that one day he would make it to the medal podium.

“It’s good to know all the hard work has paid off,” he said. “When I didn’t make Rio that was very hard. To keep pushing on after that. It’s paid off.”

Nicknamed Nails, Kelly was born with severely underdeveloped arms and legs and living in an orphanage in Baghdad when Australian humanitarian worker Moira Kelly adopted him and his brother.

He underwent surgery to remove both his legs and took a shine to swimming after deciding he wasn’t cut out for footy or cricket.

Through sheer hard work, he made the Australian Paralympics team in London and Rio but hadn’t won a medal until Saturday.

“Third time lucky for sure. It’s been a long journey,” he said.

“But I don’t think my story is any exception to any other Paralympic story. There are so many athletes here who have incredible stories. It’s just a dream to get here.”

Rivals in the water, but the best of friends on dry land, Scooter and Nails have been racing each other for almost a decade and a half now.

Their success has inspired countless Australians who live with other disabilities, though neither man views their achievements as extraordinary.

“Me and Ahmed, we don’t see any other way,” Patterson said.

“We want to do the best we can to fit into society. I talk to my mates and I understand what we do is inspiring to people because we’re missing parts of our body and so on. But to us, it’s everyday life.”

Another inspiring figure, Rowan Crothers won a silver in the men’s 100m freestyle after winning gold in the 50m sprint on Wednesday.

Standing 1.96m tall and with his head shaved, Crothers is an imposing figure both in and out of the water but said the response he’s had from the Australian public has brought him to tears.

“I couldn‘t tell you the number of times that I’ve cried at my phone because I have received these amazing, beautiful messages from so many people,” he said.

“There was one woman, a mother, who messaged me saying that after watching my race her son, who has cerebral palsy, and an intellectual impairment, wanted to ride a bike for the first time ever. He said, ‘if Rowan can do it, I can do it too’.

“The one thing that I said that I really wanted to do when I first made this Paralympic team was to inspire other kids. Not necessarily to jump into the pool, but to find something that they enjoy and find something that they‘re passionate about and can chase that in their lives.

Matt Levy.
Camera IconMatt Levy. Credit: Supplied

Matt Levy also won a bronze in the men’s SB6 100m breaststroke on Saturday to join an elite group of swimmers to win medals at four Paralympics.

His collection, dating back to Beijing 2008, includes two gold but he said his medal from Tokyo ranks among his most treasured.

“This one’s pretty special. The lead-up has been rough for everyone,” he said.

“Five year build-up, Covid, the pandemic, and all the lockdowns in Australia, I think these Games is not so much the person that‘s trained the hardest, it’s the person that can overcome that adversity inside and outside the pool.”

And finally, the Australian team of Ricky Betar, Ben Hance, Ruby Storm and Maddie McTernan won silver in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay S14, behind Great Britain, which broke its own world record.

All four Aussies are in Tokyo for their first Paralympics.

Originally published as Tokyo Paralympics 2021: More medals as Australia continues wonderful form at pool

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