Simone Barlaam won the gold medal in the S9 50 freestyle competition at the Tokyo Paralympics. The Milanese established the new Paralympic record with the time 24 “71. Barlaam preceded, respectively, Denis Tarasov, from the PRC (24” 99) and the American Jamal Hill (25 “19).
“Luckily I managed to get this gold, mamma mia. It wasn’t easy, my time wasn’t the best. But the important thing is victory. After the World Cup, I completed the hat-trick. Now I enjoy this podium for a few hours and then head to the races on Monday. I still haven’t realized what I’ve done. I will probably do that when I get on the podium. It is not easy to compete with everyone’s expectations on my shoulders, I was doing it underneath, however it went well. What I feel? For now I am tired, but also euphoric and energized for the next few days ». These are the first words of Barlaam after the race speaking to the microphones of Rai.