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| Lakeisha Patterson |
While only five of our individual event Olympic finalists managed to swim their best times of the year at the Olympics in August, Aussie swimmer Lakeisha Patterson has done the unthinkable.
Overnight Patterson won our first gold of the Rio Paralympic Games, notching a world record in the S8 400m freestyle. Patterson is just 17 years old, but blitzed the field to win the final in 4:40.33, a good few seconds in front of the silver medallist.
Her previous best time was 5:04:17. Yes, you read that right. That's 23.854 seconds quicker, which is what we call peaking when it really counts.
#GOLD and a WORLD RECORD to Lakeisha Patterson in the women's 400m Freestyle S8! LIVE 7TWO | https://t.co/qDmQBsubfihttps://t.co/daXx7jqfna— 7TWO (@7TWOAU) September 8, 2016
Patterson's nickname is "Lucky", but it was more skill than luck which won her Australia's first gold of the Games on Friday morning.
Lakeisha 'Lucky' Patterson and Australia's first gold medal of the Paralympic Games. Congrats Lucky! #WeBelievepic.twitter.com/S0rm0YlVra
— AUS Paralympic Team (@AUSParalympics) September 8, 2016
In Rio, Australia currently sits eighth on the medal tally with one gold, one silver and one bronze medal. Our first medal came in the Women's C4 3000m Individual Pursuit, with Susan Powell winning silver. We've also got a bronze in the Women's 100m T53, with Angela Ballard coming third in that event also on Friday morning (Australian time).WORLD RECORD!!! Lakeisha Patterson has won GOLD in the S8 400m freestyle, beating Jessica Long from the USA! #WeBelieve#7Paralympics
— AUS Paralympic Team (@AUSParalympics) September 8, 2016
— AUS Paralympic Team (@AUSParalympics) September 8, 2016
— AUS Paralympic Team (@AUSParalympics) September 8, 2016