Ma Jia of China poses with her gold medal after winning the women's 50m freestyle S11 final rematch at the Tokyo Paralympics at Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo, Japan, August 29, 2021. /CFP
Chinese swimmer Ma Jia won the women's 50m freestyle S11 gold medal again in the final rematch at the Tokyo Paralympics on Sunday.
Ma's was 0.26 seconds faster in the rematch (29.20) than she was in the first final (29.46), winning the competition and breaking the world record created by Karolina Pelendritou of Cyprus, who finished third in the rematch.
"I feel so excited winning the gold medal and breaking the world record in my first Paralympics," said Ma after the rematch. "I didn't think much when I was told there would be a rematch. I just followed the rules of the organizing committee, did what I should do and tried my best in the pool."
After Ma broke the world record and won the final for the first time on August 27, Liesette Bruinsma of the Netherlands lodged a complaint to the committee about having physical contact in the competition. That's why a rematch was arranged.
L-R: Silver medalist Li Guizhi, gold medalist Ma Jia of China and bronze medalist Karolina Pelendritou of Cyprus pose with their medals after competing in the women's 50m freestyle S11 final rematch at the Tokyo Paralympics at Tokyo Aquatics Centre, August 29, 2021. /CFP
The rematch did not lead to any difference. Ma swam faster and won the gold. Her teammate Li Guizhi came second with the silver. Pelendritou was the bronze medalist. Bruinsma had nothing, just like she did after the first final.
Swimmers with visual impairment attend S11 to S13 swimming events. Therefore, it's very common for them to have physical contact in the pool.
Li won the title of the event in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. Her performance of 29.72 seconds in the rematch also broke the previous world record. When asked how she thought of attending the final again, Li gave the same answer as Ma: "I did not think much and felt no stress at all. Just follow the rule and do my best."
Though she failed to retain the title in Tokyo, Li was still happy for swimming faster than she did in Rio. "This silver medal is actually more valuable than the gold medal to me because I did much better this time," said Li.