Brazil’s Dias off to gold winning start – Kuwait, Brazil discuss boosting sports cooperation

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept 9, (Agencies): Brazil’s star Paralympic swimmer Daniel Dias tore off to a gold winning start in Rio, but don’t call him another Michael Phelps — Dias is busy writing his own name in history.

With a gold late Thursday in the 200 meter freestyle S5, Dias, who was born with congenital malformation of his arms and right leg, now has 16 medals and is closing in on becoming one of the most decorated Paralympians of all time.

At stunning speed, the 28-year-old delighted the raucous Brazilian home crowd by beating US swimmer Roy Perkins by 10 seconds. What’s scary for opponents is he has eight more events to go.

That’s where the Phelps comparisons come in. The US swimmer — the most decorated Olympian in any sport — retired at the close of the Rio Summer Games in August with a haul of 28 medals, 23 of them gold.

Dias is catching up, but says he has his own story to tell.

“I’m Daniel Dias and I want to build my own legacy. But I’m happy to be compared to a great athlete,” he told AFP.

It’s possible that Dias will go all the way in Rio, reaching 24 medals. That would take him past the current record holder for Paralympic male swimming medals, Australian Matthew Cowdrey, who has 23 — although way off the astonishing 55 medals for the now retired US swimmer Trischa Zorn.

If Dias competes again in Tokyo 2020, he’d even have a chance to overtake Phelps.

“I never think about this,” he says. “That’s true. I just try to do my best and to swim well. The medal is the consequence of that work.”

Dias became Brazil’s most successful Paralympic athlete during the London 2012 Games. And the emotion in the swimming arena on Thursday was intense.

US swimmer Jessica Long hugged Australian Lakeisha Patterson when the women’s 400 freestyle final was over and offered congratulations. Long had a medal in her fourth Paralympics, but Patterson took the gold and the world record.

“I wish it went a little differently,” said Long, the highly decorated US Paralympian who is competing in nine races at the Rio Games.

“I think the only hard part about that is adding time in one of my best races. But at the same time, I’ve overcome some really bad shoulder injuries. So I’m really proud that I finished, and even signed up for the race.”

Patterson’s time of 4 minutes, 40.33 seconds nipped Long’s previous record of 4:40.44.

“Jess is an amazing person and a really great, fierce competitor,” Patterson said. “She’s achieved so much. To be able to have my idol come up to me and say she’s proud of me — it was really quite bittersweet. And that’s going to stick with me for a long time.”

The 24-year-old Long now has 18 medals overall, a dozen of them gold.

But Patterson, a 17-year-old swimmer from Caboolture, Australia, who has cerebral palsy, steadily took control of the race after the first 100 meters. Long finished far back, in 4:47.82.

Long was born in Siberia with fibular hemimelia, a birth defect that left her without her fibulas, ankles, heels and most of the other bones in her feet.

Kuwait’s Minister of Information and Minister of state for Youth Affairs Sheikh Salman Sabah Al-Salem Al-Humoud Al-Sabah and Brazil’s Sports Minister Leonardo Picciani discussed, on Friday, means of boosting bilateral ties, especially those related to sports.

The meeting gave a special focus on a joint sports treaty that was signed by the two countries back in 2010 during a visit made by the then Prime Minister His Highness Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

Sheikh Salman expressed hope to activate this treaty, which has been in effect since 2011. Picciani, meanwhile, expressed similar views of enhancing joint cooperation in the realm of sports.

During the meeting, the Kuwaiti Minister seized the opportunity to relay the greeting of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to appointing Michel Temer as the new President of Brazil.

Sheikh Salman, and his accompanying delegation, is in Brazil to attend the Rio Paralympic Games 2016.

The Rio 2016 Paralympic Games is being held from Sept 7-18. Around 4,350 athletes from more than 160 countries is competing in 528 medal events in 22 different sports.

The Kuwaiti shooter Atef Al-Dosari, member of the national team taking part in Rio Paralympic Games 2016, expressed high hopes that he will succeed in bagging a medal in scheduled shooting competitions.

Al-Dosari told KUNA on Friday that he would take part in standing 10-m air rifle and sitting 10-m air rifle competitions, affirming that had undergone rigorous training at a the club for the disabled in Hannover, Germany, in August.

It is the first time that the Kuwaiti handicapped shooters take part in the international paralympics. Shooting in these tournaments had been included since 1979.

Al-Dosari on Saturday will take part in qualification competitions to choose eight shooters from 145 participating states, in preparation for the final contests.

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