TOKYO: Competing in her third Paralympics in Tokyo, Lu Dong broke a swimming world record that has remained unbroken for 11 years, winning her third gold in the Games.
“This is the one I’m most satisfied with. It’s my best time,” said the 29-year-old after claiming gold in the women’s 50m backstroke S5 final on August 30.
In the backstroke swimming competition, Lu, who lost both her arms in a car accident at age six, could not hold the edge of the pool to launch herself into the race. Instead, she had to grip a towel between her teeth before diving backwards at the start of the pool. Dubbed the “armless mermaid,” Lu swam to gold in a world record-breaking time of 37.18 seconds, powered only by her legs and beating Spain’s Teresa Perales, who had the use of her arms. Lu took up the sport aged 13, encouraged by the local federation for people with disabilities in northeast China’s Liaoning Province.
Swimming has opened up a whole new world for Lu in the aftermath, and she has undergone hard training that is unimaginable for most ordinary people.
With no arms to help, Lu can only touch the wall with her head at the finish line, but with the speed to push her body through the water, the pain from that final bump is always worth it. “In competition, even 0.1 second counts, and you’ve just got to press on,” she said.
In Tokyo, Lu also competed in the women’s 50m butterfly S5, women’s 100m freestyle S5, mixed 4x50m freestyle relay 20 points and women’s 200m individual medley SM5.
Lu also claimed a gold in the women’s 50m butterfly S5 final, another world-record-breaking event, which she said has made up for the disappointment from Rio 2016, where she won silver in the event. “I wanted to try something new and get to know more people with impairments,” Lu said. The sport has been a personal boost for her, giving her a feeling of self-worth and confidence. – Agencies
