Media Release by Senator the Hon Jan McLucas

Swimmers seal day six with more gold

Joint Media Release with:

  • SENATOR KATE LUNDY, Minister for Sport, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister Assisting for Industry and Innovation
  • JENNY MACKLIN MP Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Minister for Disability Reform

Australia has collected bronze on the athletics track and our swimmers have added two gold and one bronze to our medal haul on day six of the London Paralympic Games.

Adding four medals to our tally on Tuesday, Australia has now amassed 52 medals at the halfway point of the Games.

Our swimmers did Australia proud in the pool hauling in a total of three medals – setting a new world record and Paralympic record in the process.

Brenden Hall set a new world record to secure gold in men’s 400m freestyle S9 final and Jacqui Freney continued her golden streak setting a Paralympic record to collect her sixth gold medal.

Jacqui is the highest individual medallist at the Games and has now equalled Siobhan Paton’s record as Australia’s most successful medallist at a single Paralympics.

Ellie Cole picked up her third medal of the Games, winning bronze in the women’s 400m freestyle S9 final in a personal best time.

Making his Paralympic debut, Rheed McCracken stormed home to claim bronze in the men’s 200m T34. The 15-year-old has only been racing in a wheelchair for two years, but he has launched himself as a rising track star with his first medal win on the Paralympic stage.

In a tricky tactical race, Kurt Fearnley was boxed in by competitors in the final of the 1,500m T54 and was unable to break away from the pack finishing in 7th place.

The Australian Gilders qualified for the medal round of the women’s wheelchair basketball, defeating Mexico 62 – 37 in the quarter-final match. The Australians will now face the United States in a bid to qualify for Friday’s gold medal match.

Our women’s goalball team delivered a strong performance but lost to Sweden 8 – 5 in their final pool game.

Australia’s wheelchair rugby team the Steelers will compete against Canada tomorrow in their first match of the Paralympics.