Liesette Bruinsma from Wommels and Olivier van de Voort from Elsloo won gold on Saturday evening at the European Para Swimming Championships on the Portuguese island of Madeira.
Bruinsma (23) won her second gold in the 400 meter freestyle. The blind swimmer was lord and master. She finished in 5:05.67.
That is more than 3 seconds above her personal record, but was more than enough to ensure victory. Ukraine’s Tatiana Blattenenorova finished in 5.37.81. Bronze went to Britain’s Eliza Humphreys in 5.38.61.
Bruinsma won twice gold and twice silver in the S11 class at this European Championship.
Under a minute
Olivier van de Voort (27) won gold in the 100 meter backstroke. The swimmer from Elsloo (he is missing a lower leg) returned to the competition pool this season and will participate in the Paralympic Games for the second time (after 2016). He finished in 58.24 seconds in the European Championship final on Saturday and was the only one in the S10 to stay under a minute. Italian Stefano Raimondi won silver in 1.00.70.
Van de Voort previously won gold in the 4×100 meter medley in Funchal. The European record for the 100 back remained in the hands of the Ukrainian Krypak: 57.19.
Tags: Frisian success European Para Swimming Championships Lisette Bruinsma Wommels Olivier van Voort Elsloo win gold
