World Records tumble at Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games

Three Para world records were established at the 2015 Parapan American Games currently in progress in Toronto, Canada.

History was made on Monday (10 August), the first day of athletics as Cuba’s Omara Duran clocked the fastest 100m time ever by a female para-athlete.

Despite rainy conditions during the heats, the 23-year-old clocked 11.65 seconds, 0.26 seconds faster than the previous T12 record set by China’s Guohua Zhou at London 2012.

Her time was also 0.24 quicker than the previous fastest time run by a female athlete. At April’s IPC Athletics Grand Prix South Africa’s Ilse Hayes ran 11.89 in the T13 class.

Mexico’s Amalia Perez was the other star of the show on Monday breaking her own world record to top the podium. The two-time Paralympic champion added 0.5kg to her previous world’s best with a third round lift of 133.0kg/130.15 points to take gold in the women’s up to 55kg, 61kg and 67kg class.

The USA’s Jarryd Wallace beat Brazil’s Alan Oliveira and broke the world record in a sensational 100m T43/44 final on Tuesday (11 August) evening.

In the lead-up to the race, the 25-year-old predicted a world record would be needed to retain the gold he won four years ago in Guadalajara, Mexico. He was right as he stormed to victory in 10.71 seconds to lower the previous best held by compatriot Richard Browne by 0.04 seconds. (IPC-HW) 

Omara Durand