Kevin Paul opens South Africa’s Rio medal campaign with gold
The South African swimmer reclaimed the men’s 100m breaststroke SB9 title he had won at Beijing 2008.
Kevin Paul at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, where he won the men’s 100m breaststroke SB9 gold medal, 8 September 2016. Original Wikimedia Commons photograph; no AI editing.
Photo credit: Fernando Frazão / Agência Brasil · CC BY 2.0
Kevin Paul gave South Africa its first medal of Rio 2016 by winning the men’s 100m breaststroke SB9 on 8 September. The world champion touched in 1:04.86, returning to the top of the Paralympic podium in the event he had won eight years earlier in Beijing.
Holding on through the closing metres
Ukraine’s Denis Dubrov challenged strongly near the finish but settled for silver in 1:05.10. The Netherlands’ Duncan van Haaren, making his Paralympic debut aged 16, completed the podium in 1:06.54.
Paul’s winning margin was 0.24 seconds. Reflecting on his return to gold in the IPC report, he contrasted the experience with his victory as a 17-year-old in 2008. He described a deeper appreciation of the preparation and commitment required to become a Paralympic champion.