PARALYMPIC GAMES
By TOM HAYES
TRARALGON’S Ruby Storm has started her Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on the right note.
Storm entered the pool for three separate events, after the Paralympics got underway last Thursday, August 29 (AEST).
She first competed in the S14 100-metre Butterfly, with the heats on the first day of competition.
However, Storm failed to qualify for that specific final, finishing the heat in fifth place, narrowly outside the qualifying positions.
Just two days later, she was back in the pool for the S14 200m Freestyle heats, coming away with a fourth place finish. The swim earnt her a spot in the final the following morning.
Storm battled hard throughout the final and finished seventh.
Most recently, Storm was a part of the S14 Mixed 4x100m Medley. No heats were required, with only five teams in the running.
In the early hours of Monday, September 2, Australians would’ve cheered for Storm and her team of Jack Ireland, Madeleine McTernan, and Benjamin Hance.
The Australians kept within close quarters of Team Great Britain, who powered ahead into the lead.
Coming into the final lap, Great Britain remained ahead, with Australia a close second. The Aussies wouldn’t find a way past, claiming a silver medal in the process.
The silver medal was Storm’s third Paralympic medal, after claiming a silver and bronze at the Tokyo 2020 (2021 due to COVID-19) Paralympic Games.
The medal was one of Australia’s six silvers at the Games, adding to the total of 22 medals at the time of print (Monday, September 2).
Still to come, Storm has two more events, those being the S14 200m Individual Medley (September 4 and 5) and the S14 100m Backstroke (September 6 and 7).
FELLOW Traralgon swimmer, Emily Beecroft went one better.
Beecroft competed in the 34 POINTS Mixed 4x100m Medley Relay, progressing straight into the final.
The relay team started with the two boys, Jeese Aungles and Timothy Hodge who put Australia ahead with impressive times for the first half of the race. Nonetheless, at this point of the race, Australia were second to Netherlands.
Beecroft swam third of the four, putting in the fastest 50m split so far for the team, but was still seven seconds off the pace of the Dutch team when Alexa Leary entered the water.
Leary clinched three seconds from the Dutch in the first 50m, setting up an almighty finish. Launching toward the finish, she wasn’t going to be stopped, climbing from four second behind in the final 50m to win by a second.
Gold for Australia. Gold for Beecroft.
It was Beecroft’s first-ever gold medal, after claiming silver and bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
Beecroft has two events throughout the second week of the Paralympic Games, beginning with the S9 100m Freestyle (September 4 and 5), then the S9 100 Butterfly (September 6 and 7).
