2007 World Deaf Swimming Championships Day 5: A fantastic ending

Friday, August 17, 2007

On the final matchday, Thursday, of the 2007 World Deaf Swimming Championships, four athletes fouled at the start of finales section and were disqualified subsequently by referees. One athlete fouled in the Men's 400m Freestyle and three in the Women's 200m Backstroke.

The starting foul (arrowed) in the Men's 400m Freestyle Final.
Image: Rico Shen..
The starting foul (arrowed) in the Women's 200m Backstroke Final.
Image: Rico Shen..
After 3 athletes were disqualified, only 4 athletes participated in the Women's 200m Backstroke Final.
Image: Rico Shen..

In the Women's 200m Backstroke Final, Swedish swimmer Anna Polivanchuk started prematurely, while Belarus athlete Maryia Rudzko and Japanese athlete Rika Takagishi both started after the official start. Due to the infractions, the referees disqualified Polivanchuk, Rudzko, and Takagishi so that only four athletes participated in the final.

There was a record-breaking performance during the final day. In the Women's final 4x100 Freestyle Relay, the Russian National Team surpassed their old record with a 4 minute and 4.72 second performance.

At the end of the five-day main event, the organizers held a closing ceremony for participants and VIPs. In a speech, Taipei City Mayor Lung-pin Hau acknowledged the work of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf (ICSD) and thanked the members of the 23 national teams for their participation. He also suggested that "deaf culture" in Taipei will see lasting benefits from the games.

ICSD Technical Director Reed Gershwind expressed his satisfaction with the event. He suggested that the Taipei City Government will be well-suited to provide a comprehensive service to deaf athletes for the 2009 21st Summer Deaflympics. Gershwind also announced that Portugal was awarded the 2011 championship, which will be held at Lisbon University Stadium.

List of Champions of 5th Matchday

Results in italic text highlight a new world record performance.

Group	Athlete Name or Team	Time
400m Freestyle
Men	Nicky Lange (Germany)	4:12'64"
Women	Kristin Ates (United States)	4:38'82"
100m Butterfly
Men	Björn Koch (Germany)	57'62"
Women	Ekaterina Savchenko (Russia)	1:06'76"
200m Backstroke
Men	Volodymyr Natalchuk (Ukraine)	2:18'40"
Women	Aksana Petrushenka (Belarus)	2:36'30"
4x100m Freestyle Relay
Men	Ukraine Team	3:40'86"
Women	Russia Team	4:04'72"

Medal Statistics after 5th Matchday

Only listed national teams who won at least bronze medals. See External links below for full details.

Order	Team	Gold	Silver	Bronze
1	Ukraine	12	6	4
2	Russian	7	6	7
3	Germany	6	7	4
4	Belarus	5	4	5
5	Sweden	2	5	1
6	United States	2	1	2
7	Ireland	2	1	2
8	Chinese Taipei	1	1	1
9	Belgium	1	1	1
10	Japan	0	2	3
11	Poland	0	2	1
12	Great Britain	0	1	4
13	South Africa	0	1	4

Sources

Wikinews

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Wikinews

This article features first-hand journalism by Wikinews members. See the collaboration page for more details.

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