Pascoe Pipped in the Pool

Kiwi swimming sensation Sophie Pascoe emerged from the pool battered and bruised following her S10 100 m backstroke final at the London Paralympics where the 19 year old collected another silver medal.

Pascoe turned in world record time at the split and even went under the former world record time in 1:06.99, but it wasn’t enough to hold back a rampaging Summer Ashley Mortimer who clinched the gold medal, eclipsing her own world record in 1:05.9.

Swimming can often be about playing cat and mouse and in the heat this morning the 19 year old kiwi played the cat, while current world champion Mortimer of Canada was indeed the mouse.

Pascoe set a new Paralympic record, swimming in 1:07.77 while Mortimer only qualified third fastest in 1:09.92. The Canadian’s stroke rate was well off her usual bull at a gate style. But there was no fooling Pascoe, who’d set the bar the heat before. “She’s holding something back, there’s no doubt about that, but tonight I’ll just go out there and do my thing.”

But tonight in the final the roles were reversed, Mortimer evolved not into a cat but a lioness, and gobbled up the Kiwi's lead in the final 15 metres and got one over the Cantabrian. ”Yeah she did," explained an exhausted Pascoe as she stood, weakened in the legs by the onset of cramp. "I backed myself from this morning, that’s a new personal best for me and that’s all I can do, unfortunately she piped me at the post again, but I had nothing left in me, I’m all cramped up and everything so I know I’ve given it my all."

For the second time this week, Mortimer has headed Pascoe off at the pass, and forced Pascoe to show her gracious side, “it just shows you, she had the drive to get there, I did want it but unfortunately I couldn’t sit on her tail.”

Pascoe has the day off tomorrow to recuperate and ready herself for two more events.