WA Athletes Medal at Para Pan Pacs

Published On: 14 August 2018

Paralympians Jeremy McClure, Guy Harrison-Murray and Katherine Downie have all medalled for a dominant Australian Dolphins team at the 2018 Para Pan Pacs in Cairns.

Australia collected 43 gold medals across the five nights of finals in Queensland’s far north as the Aussies topped the medal tally and showed they will be a force in the pool at the Tokyo Paralympics in two years’ time.

In addition to WA’s Paralympic representatives, rising Western Australian young gun Ben Popham stamped his named as one to remember, by winning two gold medals for Australia.

The 17 year-old claimed gold in the final of the S8 100m before teaming up with Matthew Levy, Timothy Disken and Rowan Crothers for gold in the men’s 34-point 4x100m relay.

Vision impaired swimmer Jeremy McClure won gold in the S11 100m backstroke with a time of 1.12.92, which was only a couple of seconds outside of his fifth place time at the Rio Paralympics in 2016.

 

The 31 year-old is a veteran of four Paralympic teams and based on his form in Queensland, he appears on track to make a fifth appearance in the green and gold in Japan.

Harrison-Murray collected a silver medal in Cairns to go along with a trio of bronze. His second place was earned in the final of the S10 100m fly, whilst he added further medals in the S10 100m free, S10 400m free and S10 50m free.

In the S10 100m backstroke, Katherine Downie picked up bronze for Australia with a time of 1.12.06 behind Aurelie Rivard from Canada and gold medallist Sophie Pascoe from New Zealand.

Downie was back on the podium in the women’s SM9 200m IM finishing behind compatriot Madeleine Scott, who won gold in a time of 2.40.38.

The Para Pan Pacs were run at the same time as the Pan Pacs which were held in Tokyo, doubling as a test event for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Brianna Throssell was the sole WA representative in Tokyo, appearing in the finals of the women’s 100m fly and 200m free.

The Commonwealth Games medallist finished sixth in the 100m fly final which was won by Japan’s Rikako Ikee. Australia’s Emma McKeon was third.

In the 200m free final, Throssell took eighth place in a race won by Canada’s Taylor Ruck.