Para-swimmer Elena Semechin won gold in the 100 meter breaststroke at the European Championships in Madeira. Gina Böttcher also won gold in the 50 meter backstroke.
The 30-year-old won the SB 12 starting class on Wednesday evening in a time of 1:13.38 minutes. For Semechin it is the fifth European Championship gold of her career in her flagship discipline.
Overall, Semechin was able to celebrate her eleventh European Championship medal. Semechin, who was called Krawzow before she got married, is also the current world champion and Paralympic champion in the 100 meter breaststroke.
Schott with bronze in the 400 meter freestyle
Semechin, whose vision is severely limited, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in November 2021. After the diagnosis, she won medals at both the 2022 World Championships (silver) and the 2023 World Championships (gold). Semechin completed the last cycle of her chemo in February 2023.
In the evening, the German team was also able to celebrate another success: Verena Schott won the bronze medal in the 400 meter freestyle in the S6 starting class. In a heart-stopping finale, she prevailed by a hundredth of a second ahead of fourth-placed Briton Grace Harvey. It was already her third precious metal at this year’s European Championships.
Böttcher wins gold in the 50 meter backstroke
The German team’s run of success didn’t end there: Gina Böttcher won gold in the 50 meter backstroke in the starting class S4, after she had already won the 150 meter individual medley the day before. Josia Topf won the silver medal in the 50 meter backstroke in the S3 starting class, while Ole Braunschweig won bronze in the 100 meter freestyle in the S9 class.
The results of the German Disabled Sports Association after four of seven days of competition are five gold, silver and bronze.