Zijderveld grabs in final meters next to title at Paralympics
Chantalle Zijderveld just missed out on the gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo on Wednesday. The South Hollander took the lead for a long time in the event, but lost the lead in the last meters and had to be satisfied with silver.
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Twenty-year-old Zijderveld, who was born without a right hand, recorded a time of 27.42 seconds in the S10 category and was therefore four hundredths of a second slower than the Russian winner Anastasiia Gontar. The bronze was for the Canadian Aurelie Rivard.
Five years ago, Zijderveld won a medal in the 50-metre freestyle at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The South Hollander then finished fourth. At the 2019 World Championships in London, she finished third in the swimming event.
The Rotterdam-born Zijderveld is one of the most successful Dutch swimmers with a disability. She became a three-time world champion and five-time European champion in various swimming disciplines.
The 100-meter breaststroke, where she is reigning world and European champion, is usually her best part. It’s scheduled for Thursday.
Earlier in the day, track cyclist Tristan Bangma gave the Netherlands the first gold medal at the Paralympic Games. With pilot Patrick Bos he was in a class of his own in the 4 kilometer time trial and he recorded a world record.
