Paris Paralympic backstroking golden boy Ben Hance has capped a year to remember with another world record in the Multi-Class 50m backstroke at the Hancock Prospecting Queensland Championships.
Hance (St Andrews, QLD; Coach Ash Delaney) became the first swimmer to defend a men’s 100m backstroke S14 gold at this year’s Paralympic Games in Paris - touching in 57.04 (after his 56.62 WR in the morning heats).
And it was a repeat dose yesterday at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre – WR in the morning and gold medal at night – the performances earning Hance the Swimmer of the Day for Wednesday – the first WR of the meet.
The 24-year-old set a new Virtus World Record of 26.15 in yesterday morning’s heats – before clocking 26.31 to win last night’s final – both times under his own previous world record of 26.47 set at last year’s State Championships.
(Virtus is the governing body of World Intellectual Impairment Sport for athletes with an intellectual impairment - the International Olympic Committee doesn’t recognise 50m form stroke world records, but the Virtus body does).
On his big day in Paris, Hance ran to the blocks for the heats and started the day on world record pace, and he finished the day off with a special tribute for his late father…celebrating his second Paralympic gold, sitting on the lane rope and pointing to the sky.
In other events last night, visiting New Zealand dynamo Grayson Coulter continued his impressive record-breaking spree – setting two more Queensland All-Comers Records in the 12-years 50m backstroke in 28.59 and the 100m freestyle in 53.25.
While Somerset Gold Coast’s Lincoln Wearing recorded another outstanding swim in the 15years 400m freestyle in 3:54.47 ahead of Kiwi Ariel Muchirahondo in 4:00.25 with Lincoln’s twin brother Isaac Wearingtaking the bronze in a pb of 4:01.24.
