Kiwi swim star Sophie Pascoe has won New Zealand's first medal at the Tokyo Paralympics, finishing second the the SB8 100m breaststroke - the 16th medal of her illustrious career.
After leading at halfway, Pascoe, 28, faded down the final 50 metres and was pipped by Irishwoman Ellen Keane by just 0.39s, clocking 1m 20.32s. Russian Adelina Razetdinova finished third, more than four seconds back.
The result virtually duplicated the afternoon heats, where Keane out-touched Pascoe in the second race, with Razetdinova winning the first in a slower time.
"I'm extremely ecstatic," says Pascoe. "Originally, I wasn't coming into this meeting doing 100 breaststroke, but was a last-minute entry.
"The reason behind it was to get myself into race mode and blow the cobwebs out before my four favoured events, coming up in hree days.
"I came in ranked third, breaststroke is not my favoured event, but it's Ellen's favoured. All power to her, she got me in the last 10 metres and that's when it really hurt - I gave it absolutely everything.
"It was an unexpected race and an unexpected result. I will stand on the podium with pride that I gave it absolutely everything."
As she had in the heats, the Kiwi - swimming without her left leg - reached the 50m mark in 37.40s and clear of her rival, who stormed home to capture gold. Keane took bronze in this event at Rio de Janiero five years and also the 2019 world championships at London.
The times were well short of the Paralympic Games record of 1m 17.17s, held by Russian Olesia Vladykina, from London 2012 and Pascoe's personal best of 1m 17.53s.
Pascoe won gold medals in 100m breaststroke at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, but elected to drop the event from her programme at Rio.
She will contest five events at this year's Games, but tells Newshub she has tempered her own expectations of victory, after struggling for motivation through New Zealand's COVID-19 lockdown last year.
Pascoe will return to the pool on Monday, when she contests the 100m backstroke.
Thursday, August 26
SWIMMING
Women’s 100m breaststroke heats - Sophie Pascoe (SB8), 2nd 1m 21.75s (progresses to final)
Women’s 100m breaststroke final - Sophie Pascoe (SB8), 2nd 1m 20.32s (silver medal)
WHEELCHAIR RUGBY
11pm NZ, Group B - Wheel Blacks v Great Britain (Mixed)
More to come
