Source: IPC
As the second half of the 2009 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming World Championships 25m in Rio de Janeiro starts to wind down, athletes are seeing an opportunity to break more World records in the race to the podium.

In the Men’s 100m Breaststroke (SB4) on 3 December, host country’s Daniel De Faria Dias set a World record with his time of 1:31.49. Spain’s Ricardo Ten Argiles, who finished just 0.17s behind Dias, took second place. For the Women’s 100m Breaststroke (SB4), Bela Hlavackova from the Czech Republic finished first with her time of 2.02.63. She was followed by Alice Hsiao Hung Luo from Chinese Taipei and Ana Clara Carneiro Grillo Cruz from Brazil respectively.

The same day also saw a World record in the Men’s 100m Butterfly (S11) from Japan’s Keiichi Kimura with his time of 1:07.02. Kimura was followed by USA’s Philip Scholz and Brazil’s Andre Luis Meneghetti. In the Women’s 100m Butterfly (S11), well-known athlete from the USA Jessica Long set a World record with her time of 1:12.24. Long was followed by Australia’s Jacqueline Rose Freney and Switzerland’s Chantal Cavin respectively.

Mallory Weggemann (USA) took top position again in Brazil, setting a World record at the same time in the Women’s 100m Freestyle (S7) with 1:08.56. Weggemann was followed by compatriot Cortney Jordan and Paralympian Ambassador Kirsten Bruhn (GER) respectively. Australia’s Matthew John Levy also set a World record in the Men’s 100m Freestyle (S7) with his time of 1:00.37. Levy was followed by Great Britain’s Matthew Walker and New Zealand’s Michael Ardern respectively.

A trio of athletes from Great Britain took the top spots in the Women’s 100m Individual Medley (SM9). Claire Cashmore took first and set a World record with her time of 1:11.83, followed by Stephanie Millward in second and Kate Grey in third. In the Men’s 100m Individual Medley (SM9), Australia’s Matthew Cowdrey took first, setting a World record with 59.07s. Cowdrey was followed by Hungary’s Tamas Sors and Japan’s Takuro Yamada respectively.

The World Championships are taking place through 5 December 2009 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with over 260 athletes from 31 different countries participating in the IPC’s first Short Course World Championships in Swimming. The event is organized by the RIO2009 Organizing Committee and sanctioned by the Brazilian National Paralympic Committee and the IPC. The mascot for Rio 2009 is Otto, the swimming octopus and will undoubtedly make the Championships even more memorable for all visitors at the event.

ParalympicSport.TV, the IPC's internet TV channel, is broadcasting live from the Championships. The live stream starts each day at 19:00 GMT on www.ParalympicSport.TV and will showcase Paralympic Sport at its best. Tune in to see the action!

For more information about IPC Swimming Rio 2009 World Championships 25m, please visit www.swimmingrio2009.com.br/en.

For more information about IPC Swimming, please visit www.ipc-swimming.org.