Field records all refreshed in Bird´s Nest at Paralympics

Source: Xinhua | 09-11-2008 10:14

BEIJING, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- The National Stadium experienced one of the busiest sessions of the Beijing Paralympic Games on Wednesday with 17 gold medals come out all in the evening.

China had been the most gold medalist as three athletes were trophied in two field events and one track event.

Zhang Lixin blazed the tracks in men's 400m T54 (wheelchair athletes with spinal cord injuries and amputations) with a result of 45.07 seconds to win gold and take the world record.

This has been Zhang's second Paralympic gold medal in Beijing after he won the men's 4x100m relay on Tuesday evening.

In men's javelin F11/12 (athletes with visual impairment), there was probably no better way for Zhu Pengkai to begin his competition than to break the F12 world record on his first attempt. His third attempt of 63.07m secured him the gold medal and the new world record title.

Former world record holder Miroslaw Pych from Poland won the bronze with 56.01m, while Croatia's Branimir Budetic took the silver with his best throw of 57.11m.

In women's Javelin F35-38 (athletes with cerebral palsy), China's Wu Qing's throw of 28.84m earned her the F36 world record title and the gold medal. Brazilian Shirlene created a new F37 world record with 35.95m, but it only gave her 1513 points to win a silver medal based on the multi-classification event point system. Poland's Renata Chilewska also set a world record in the F35 class which secured her the bronze.

This was not the end, since there were new world records in all the field events, with some having more than one due to the multi-classification competition format.

In the tracks, Kenyans had proved that they really have a gene in distance running for Abraham Cheruiyot Tarbei paced himself and took a steady route in the Men's 1500m Men's 1500m T46 to win the gold, landing himself the world record title with 3:52.50.

Though competing for the first time in Paralympics, Ireland's 18-year-old Michael McKillop won himself a gold medal and created a world record in the men's 800m - T37. Brad Scott from Australia and Djamel Mastouri of France trailed behind to take silver and bronze respectively.

Another three classifications of men's 400m had also been run on Wednesday evening in which Cuban Luis Manuel Galano and his teammate Freddy Durruthy in T13 took their place on the first and second steps of the medal podium and made their anthem heard in the stadium.

Tunisia also had a double joy when Farhat Chida and Abbes Saidi finished first and second to take gold and silver in the T38, giving Chida the second gold medal in the tournament.

Ukraine's Roman Pavlyk beat Russian Artem Arefyev's world record to clock his own record time of 54.13 seconds to win gold. This is Pavlyk's second gold in addition to the one he won on Tuesday in the Men's 100m T36.

Editor:Xiong Qu