TOKYO, September 1. /TASS/. Russian swimmer Maria Pavlova won gold on Wednesday at the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo in the women’s 100-meter breaststroke SB7 classification competition.
Pavlova clocked the distance in 1 minute 31.44 seconds to win the gold. The silver went to Jessica Long of the United States (1 minute 34.82 seconds) and the bronze was packed by Australia’s Tiffany Thomas Kane (1 minute 35.02 seconds).
This is Pavlova’s second medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. Earlier at the Summer Paralympics in Japan, she won the bronze in the women’s 200-meter individual medley SM8 classification event.
Pavlova is 22 years old and she is the 2020 European champion in addition to one silver and two bronze medals of the European championships. She is also a bronze medal winner of the 2019 World Championship.
The 2020 Summer Paralympic Games in Japan’s Tokyo are being held between August 24 and September 5, 2021. In March 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced their decision to postpone the 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Japan for one year due to the continuous COVID-19 spread.
As of today, the Russian national team of Para athletes in Tokyo - participating as Team RPC (the Russian Paralympic Committee) due to international sanctions against Russian sports - boasts 31 gold, 20 silver and 37 bronze medals. Team RPC is currently 2nd in the overall medal count following China (68-43-36). Team Great Britain is in 3rd place (30-24-32) of the medal standings.
Team RPC at 2020 Summer Paralympics in Japan
The team of national athletes from Russia at the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games in Japan includes 242 athletes, while the overall number of the RPC delegation in Tokyo stands at 432 people. The selected Paralympians from Russia are fighting for medals in 19 out of the 22 sports competitions, on the program of the quadrennial event.
Russian athletes are competing in the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo under the flag and logo of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) instead of the Russian national flag and state emblem.
The national anthem of Russia is also under sanctions at the Paralympics in Japan. The First Piano Concerto by Pyotr Tchaikovsky was selected to be played at awarding ceremonies for Russian Paralympians in Tokyo.