The young Andalusian swimmer Anastasiya Dmytriv became the first major protagonist of the Spanish delegation at the Paris Paralympic Games by being the first athlete to win a gold medal, winning the final of the 100 meters breaststroke in the SB8 class this Friday.
Dmytriv He turned 16 a few days ago, but his youth was not felt in the spectacular and noisy Arena de La Défense. Age has never seemed to be a problem for this precocious talent, who arrived as a child in El Ejido, a city in Almeria, from Ukraine, where she was born, and who was discovered by Patricia Prieto, her coach, totally enthusiastic about the success of her pupil, who will now also benefit from a financial prize of 94,000 euros.
This gold was one of those that are placed in bet as insurance because ‘Tasy’ appeared in Paris as the current double world champion of the modality and also as European champion a few months ago. It was his favorite test and he made it clear in a demonstration in the final he arrived at, already announcing his intentions in the morning series.
Dmytriv was the fastest of the morning with 1:22.91, a record she broke at the moment of truth, with the support of the stands of the Queen Letiziawho was then able to congratulate her personally after collecting the medal. She dominated the final like a veteran, from start to finish, and without giving her rivals any respite, even if later, in the mixed zone, she admitted that she had cried before going out to the pool.
After the start, the Spanish swimmer took control of the race and after the first 50 metres she was already more than a second ahead of her main rivals. The next 50 minutes seemed a little longer, but her advantage was more than enough and she could taste Paralympic glory with a time of 1:19.75, ahead of the British Brock Whiston, 11 years her senior, who won silver (1:19.75), and the Russian Viktoriia Ishchiulova, 18, who won bronze (1:24.50). The Spaniard Nuria Marquès, one of the first to affectionately congratulate “Tasy”, finished sixth in 1:26.58.
Dymitriv gave the only joy to the pool on a day when there were no other options. Óscar Salguero, third best time in the 100 breaststroke SB8 series, finished sixth in his final after swimming slower (1:12.36) than in the morning (1:11.64). Enrique Alhambra, bronze on Thursday in the 100 butterfly S13, finished fifth (1:00.86), while Luis Huerta finished seventh in the 100 freestyle S5, and Emma Feliu and Marian Polo, sixth and seventh in the 100 backstroke S13. The 4×50 freestyle relay with 20 points formed by Sarai Gascón, Marta Fernández, Toni Ponce and Daniel Ferrer finished sixth, despite coming in third.
