PARIS --- UNI swimmer Olivia Chambers found her way to the Paralympic medal stand for the second time in the last four days on Tuesday as she captured silver for the United States in the women's SM13 200-meter individual medley at the Paris Games.
After winning the S13 400-meter freestyle on Saturday, Chambers, a Little Rock, Arkansas native who is legally blind due to multiple mitochondrial gene deletion syndrome, set a new career-best time in by nine one-thousandths of a second to become the first UNI athlete to win multiple medals at either the Olympics or Paralympics.
Chambers was not the only Panther in action for Team USA on Tuesday as former UNI sprinter Erin Kerkhoff competed in the first of two events on the track this week, taking seventh-place in the women's T13 100-meter dash at Stade De France.
Swimming the fourth of her five scheduled individual events in Paris, Chambers, who entered this year's games with the second-best seed time in the event, put together a solid preliminary effort with the top time in her heat and entire 12-person field in 2:27.72, outpacing fellow American Grace Nuhfer by four seconds (2:31.89) and Brazil's Maria Carolina Gomes Santiago by 5.12 seconds (2:32.84). In the second heat, reigning Paralympic champion Carlotta Gilli (Italy) clocked a time of 2:28.89, with Roisin Ni Riain (Ireland) following in second and Shokhsanamkohn Toshpulatova (Uzbekistan) in third. American and three-time Paralympic medalist Colleen Young took fourth in the second heat in 2:35.58 to sneak into the finals.
Tuesday's final saw Gilli jump out to an early lead before Chambers tightened the gap in the backstroke and breaststroke legs. Chambers would finish just 0.57 seconds behind Gilli with a new career-best time of 2:25.90, as Roisin Ni Riain (Ireland) captured the bronze medal in 2:27.47. Americans Grace Nuhfer (2:32.82) and Colleen Young (2:34.95) placed sixth and seventh respectively.
WOMEN'S SM13 200m INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY FINALS RESULTS (Paris 2024 Paralympics)
- 1st | Carlotta Gilli (Italy) - 2:25.33
- 2nd | Olivia Chambers (USA) - 2:25.90
- 3rd | Roisin Ni Riain (Ireland) - 2:27.47
- 4th | Shokhsanamkohn Toshpulatova (Uzbekistan) - 2:27.55
- 5th | Maria Carolina Gomes Santiago (Brazil) - 2:30.05
- 6th | Grace Nuhfer (USA) - 2:32.82
- 7th | Colleen Young (USA) - 2:34.95
- 8th | Marian Polo Lopez (Spain) - 2:34.95