Media Release by The Hon Jenny Macklin MP

Records fall on day five

Joint Media Release with:

  • Senator Kate Lundy, Minister for Sport, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister Assisting for Industry and Innovation

    Senator Jan Mclucas, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers

Australia has bagged five new medals on day five of the Paralympics in London, adding two gold, two silver and one bronze to our Games haul to lift our total to 48 medals.

Our swimmers scooped two gold medals in the pool setting a new world record and a Paralympic record in two events. Australia continues to hold second position on the swimming medal table behind China.

Jacqui Freney set a new Paralympic record in the S7 100m freestyle final and then spearheaded the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team to pick up gold in the world record time and claim her fifth gold medal of the London Games.

Swimmer Matthew Levy backed up his individual bronze medal win yesterday to claim silver in the men’s 100m freestyle S7 final behind China’s Shiyun Pan.

Brad Scott claimed silver for Australia in the men’s 1500m T37 and Russell Short picked up bronze in the men’s shot put F11/12 boosting our athletics medal tally to 14 medals. Russell is a veteran of the Paralympics and his bronze medal is his 11th medal win over seven Paralympic Games.

Australian table tennis player Mel Tapper narrowly missed out on a bronze medal, falling to China’s Lei Fan in the deciding game 11 – 7.

Our men’s wheelchair basketball team secured a 20 point win over Italy to take top spot in their group. The Rollers dominated each quarter in the match to claim victory and achieve five wins from as many matches. The Rollers now face Poland in a crossover quarter-final.

Australia’s women’s wheelchair basketball team will face off in the quarter finals tomorrow against Mexico.