Russia’s Lukyanenko wins gold in women’s breaststroke event at 2024 Paris Paralympics

PARIS, September 5. /TASS/. Russia’s Daria Lukyanenko won another gold on Thursday at the 2024 Paris Summer Paralympic Games in women’s 100-meter breaststroke competition.
The Russian athlete clocked the distance in 1 minute 18.31. China’s Ma Jia took the silver (1 minute 19.24 seconds) and Karolina Pelendritou from Cyprus clinched the bronze (1 minute 21.64 seconds).
The 100-meter breaststroke competition was held under the SB11 sports class, which means that it is “for swimmers with near-total visual impairment… All swim in blacked-out goggles. Head tappers and stroke-counting are used to precisely execute the turns.”
The 22-year-old Russian previously won at the Paralympics in France the gold in 200-meter medley, the bronze in 400-meter freestyle event and in the 100-meter backstroke competition.
The 2024 Summer Paralympic Games run in the French capital of Paris between August 28 and September 8. Russian Paralympians are participating in the 2024 Games under a neutral status.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) cleared 88 Paralympians from Russia to take part in the 2024 Paris Summer Paralympic Games. They were barred from taking part in the Parade of Athletes during the opening and closing ceremonies and also excluded from the 2024 Paralympics overall medal standings.
On March 6, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) published strict eligibility criteria that Russian and Belarusian athletes and support personnel must meet and adhere to in order to participate as neutrals at the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games in Paris.
According to the IPC’s requirements “Neutral athletes will compete under a white flag featuring black lettering spelling out NPA [Neutral Paralympic Athletes].” The IPC also ruled that “NPA will compete as individuals in neutral uniforms under an NPA flag, and will not be able to take part in medals ceremonies or march in the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.”
On September 29, 2023, the IPC General Assembly ruled at its session in Bahrain to suspend some of the rights the RPC has within the global organization.
However, the IPC General Assembly cleared Russian athletes to participate under a neutral status in international competition, including at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.