Dubber wins first Kiwi medal in the pool

North Shore club swimmer Rebecca Dubber has won New Zealand’s first medal in the pool at the Paralympics in Rio today.

The 23-year-old finished third to win the bronze medal in the women’s 100m backstroke S7 final with Waikato teammate Nikita Howarth sixth in the same final.

Dubber, coached by Gary Francis, made a strong move over the final 50m to finish third in 1:23:85, a fraction outside her personal best set in the heat.

It was reward for Dubber who has fought back after a number of injuries since her Paralympic debut in London four years ago, winning two silver medals at last year’s IPC World Championship.

"I’m not even really comprehending it right now," Dubber said.

"It’s so exciting and amazing. And to think, I was so nervous and unsure of what I would be capable of today and I’ve completely blown my expectations and I think everyone else’s.

"It’s been a massive journey to be here. I am grateful. Excited. After everything I have been through in the last four years I’ve earned my right to be here and I have earned my right to win that Bronze medal.”

Howarth, who also set a PB 1:24:69 in the heat, clocked 1:25.37 in the final after a fast start to finish sixth.

"Today's race went pretty well, this morning a bit quicker this evening not so much, what can I say – it was a pretty great race for me," Howarth said.

"I was so happy this morning with my PB (personal best), I mean two seconds off is not a bad time so I’ll take it!"

The gold medal was won by Liting Ke (China) with compatriot Ying Zhang claiming the silver medal.

Howarth, a double world champion, will be looking forward to her featured events later in the meet.

"I’ve got three days off and then I’ve got my 50m Butterfly and that’ll be fun. I’ll be spending these three days training and preparing for my next races."

Cameron Leslie was also in action today competing in the Men's 200m Freestyle S5. Leslie qualified for the final with a personal best of 2:52.21. He then went faster again in the final with a time of 2:52.10 to finish eighth overall.

"It’s been a good day," Leslie said. "For me, this was about getting my first race under my belt and getting used to the atmosphere and going through the process before my main race later on.

"This is not a favoured event for me, but all in all I exceeded the target time we were after, anything low 2.50s is good for me.

"This morning it was a two second personal best, so to go slightly quicker again tonight shows it wasn’t a fluke. It shows I am in the right space for (my main event) in a few days’ time.”

Day two of the Para-Swimming will see Sophie Pascoe, Mary Fisher and Jesse Reynolds in action for New Zealand in the pool.

Viewers can catch the Team in action throughout the Games on DUKE and together with ONE News coverage, a special highlights programme will air every night on TV ONE and will be available online through TVNZ OnDemand and AttitudeLive.com. Further details https://www.tvnz.co.nz/tvnz-paralympics-schedule

CAPTION: Rebecca Dubber in action. Photo credit: BW Media

Rio 2016 Paralympic