South African swimmer Natalie Du Toit set a new World Record time in the 50m EAD Freestyle.
South Africa's Natalie Du Toit has swum into the record books with a World Record time in the 50m Elite Athletes with a Disability (EAD) Freestyle, in her heat this morning. Her time of 29.32 seconds in the 09 class is 0.03 seconds clear of the old record.
Canadian Anne Polinario, who finished second in her heat, also swam well, and was just 0.39 seconds outside the WR, with a time of 28.83.
Australia's Annabelle Josephine Williams ranked third in the heats and praised the spectators for their support: "You walk out and hear everybody screaming and it's incredible," she said.
Canadian Valerie Grandmaison's swim had her ranked fourth fastest. The 17-year-old already has three world records in this event.
Natalie Du Toit competed at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur in 1998 as an able-bodied athlete. In 2001 her left leg was amputated below the knee following a scooter accident.
A dual gold medallist at Manchester, Natalie won both the 50m and 100m Freestyle events. She also competed in the 800m Freestyle Final – the first time in history that an athlete with a disability had qualified for the Final of an able-bodied event.
The race for the medals in the Women’s 50m EAD Freestyle takes place later tonight at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre.
For more Swimming results, visit the Aquatics Swimming Schedule and Results section of this Website.
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