High five as Freney becomes our new golden girl
JACQUELINE Freney stamped her arrival as Australia’s latest Paralympic swimming star by surging to a fifth gold medal at the London Games.
The 20-year-old opened her evening by winning the S7 100m freestyle before anchoring the nation’s 4x100m freestyle relay to victory in the final race of the night.
The relay team included 13-yearold Maddison Elliott, the youngest member of an Australian Paralympic team in history, completing a full set of medals.
Australia sit fourth on the medal table at the end of the fifth day with 16 gold, 13 silver and 19 bronze.
Freney’s triumph put her within one gold medal of equalling the record for the most Paralympic titles by an Australian at a single Paralympics.
The darling of the pool at the Syd- ney Games, Siobhan the mark of six titles.
Freney still has three events to go and Paton’s record looks to be on borrowed time.
‘‘It’s absolutely incredible,’’ Freney said. ‘‘This meet’s just gone to plan every bit of it.’’
Freney, who has cerebral palsy diplegia, won her S7 100m freestyle race by more than two seconds before being handed the pressure of
Paton,
holds swimming the anchor more able competitors.
The Australian swim team is in line for its best showing since the 2000 Sydney Games.
At the halfway mark of the competition, the nation has already matched its gold medal haul in Beijing. The swimmers have won nine gold medals and topping the mark of 14 titles won in Sydney appears to be a very realistic target.
leg
against