Hayes becomes world’s fastest female para-athlete in São Paulo

South African sprinter Ilse Hayes became the world’s fastest female para-athlete on Thursday (23 April) running the 100m T13 in 11.89 seconds at the IPC Athletics Grand Prix in São Paulo, Brazil.

 

Running with a tailwind of 1.6m/s in the morning’s heats, the 29-year-old knocked 0.1 off the previous T13 record set in November 2011 by Cuba’s Omara Durand. Hayes’ time was also 0.02 faster than the T12 world record held by China’s Guohua Zhou, who was previously the world’s fastest female para-athlete.

 

"We were working towards this event the first few months of this year,2 said Hayes. "I was working really hard, so I was hoping for it (the world record). It was within my reach and the conditions on the day, the way you feel on the day, you really depend on it. I am really proud and grateful that I could break the world record today"

 

"I competed in the same event here in São Paulo last year. It is a great track, the weather is really good and the humidity was also good. I mean, it is exciting to looking forward to Rio next year. It is other part of Brazil, I have never been there, so I do not know how the conditions are there, but it is really nice to be here in Brazil again"

 

It was not all bad for Durand however who now runs in the T12 class. The 23-year-old ran 12.07 to break the five-year-old Americas 100m T12 record by 0.3.

 

Just days after running with Olympic sprint king Usain Bolt, Brazil’s Terezinha Guilhermina came within touching distance of breaking her own 100m T11 world record set at London 2012. The 36-year-old three-time Paralympic champion ran 12.05, just 0.04 seconds outside her previous best.

 

In addition to Hayes’ world record, four Americas records fell on the track on Thursday with two Brazilians leading the way in the 100m. Tascitha Oliveria Cruz (14.66) broke the T36 record and Ana Claudia Maria Da Silver (16.27) set a new mark in the T42 class.

 

Venezuela’s Yescarly Medina ran 14.62 in the morning’s 100m T37 heats to break the America’s record, which had stood since 2007, but lost out in the final later to teammate Berliana Castellano (15.04).

 

Alan Fonteles Oliveira, who will be aiming to retain three world titles at October’s IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, Qatar, made his long awaited return to the track with an impressive 11.00 over 100m.

 

"It was a good day and I felt pretty good running. I ran in 11 seconds in the morning (heat) and I was expecting this. l will not come back suddenly, it will take time, but I'll be prepared for the Parapan Am Games and for the World Championship. My speed and my strengh are coming back. I'll work hard to be at the top again," said Oliveira.

 

The fastest time of the day however was set by Brazil’s Petrucio Ferreira dos Santos in the final of the men’s 100m T47. His time of 10.88 was just 0.07 outside of his own world record set last November and ensured he beat a quality field, which included teammate and 200m world champion Yohansson Nascimento (11.35), who could only manage third.

 

The much-awaited battle of the Brazilian men in the 100m T11 saw Felipe da Souza Gomes (11.37) edge out world champion Lucas Prado (11.40) to take the win.

 

Elsewhere there were 100m wins for Brazil’s Adriele de Moraes (14.21) in the women’s T20; South Africa’s Jonathan Ntutu (11.39) in the men’s T12; Brazil’s Gustavo Henrique Faria Araujo (11.19) in the men’s T13; Argentina’s Diego Martin Gonzalez (13.76) in the men’s T35 and teammate Rotondo Henrique (13.05) in the men’s T36; South Africa’s Dyan Buis (11.68) in the men’s T38 and Sweden’s Niklas Almers (14.74) in the men’s T54.

 

Of the eight 1,500m medal races that took place on Thursday, six were won by Brazilian athletes.

 

On the men’s side, Carlos Jose Barto Da Silva (4:25.16) won the T11, Yeltsin F. Ortega Jacques (4:04.87) the T12, Felipe Leocadio Curcino (4:15.11) the T13, Jose Henrique Campos Mattos (4:12.63) the T20 and Rildo Carlos Pinto Saldanha (3:46.93) the T54.

 

Maria de Fatima Fonseca Chaves (4:03.33) won the women’s T54 for the host nation.

 

The non-Brazilian 1,500m winners were Argentina’s Mariano Domingues (4:39.65), who knocked seven seconds off the Americas T37 record set last year, and Angola’s Alberto Lussasse (4:23.89) in the men’s T46.

 

In the field events, a number of long-standing Americas records were smashed by Brazilian athletes.

 

Sandro Varelo de Oliveria saved his best until the final round of the men’s discus F55, throwing 32.24m, to break the America’s record previously set in September 2006 by 0.83m.

 

A fourth round effort of 13.20m by Mauro Evaristo de Sousa in the men’s shot put F42 beat the previous regional record set in June 2007 by 0.72m.

 

The men’s shot put F12 was a thrilling affair with the Americas record falling four times. In the opening round, Argentina’s Antonio Victoriano Rodas threw 10.95m to add 0.95m to the previous best set in Sao Paulo last year.

 

Brazil’s Marcio Silva Braga Leite responded in the third round with 11.05m, and further extended his lead and the record by throwing 11.12m and 11.14m in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively.

 

Not to be outdone, Argentina’s Hernan Urra threw 12.89m in the fifth round of the men’s shot put F35 to break his own Americas record set at this meeting last year by 1.98m.

 

Brazil’s Thiago Paulino dos Santos threw an Americas lead distance of 43.07m in the men’s discus F57, as did compatriot Roseane Ferreira dos Santos (15.35m) in the women’s javelin F57.

 

Other Brazilian winners on the men’s side included Allesando Rodrigo da Silva (12.02m) in the shot put F11, Edevaldo Pereira da Silva (11.56m) in the shot put F44, Jose Jesus de Matos (25.00m) in the discus F54 and Joao Tenorio de Araujo (30.59m) in the discus F56. Raissa Rocha Machado (14.55m) won the women’s javelin F56 for the host nation.

 

A third round throw of 12.35m ensured top spot for Cuba’s Lazaro Zamora Galguera (12.35m) in the men’s shot put F46, and Venezuela’s Yomaira Cohen (26.62m) won the women’s javelin F37.

 

The three men’s high jump events were won by Brazilians – Ernesto Epifanio Mendonca (1.60m) in the T12 class, Flavio Reitz (1.71m) in the T42 and Jorge Veiga Martins (1.71m) in the T47.

 

South Africa’s Reinhardt Hamman (13.77m) was the only competitor in the men’s shot put F38.

 

The IPC Athletics Grand Prix in São Paulo, which features 340 athletes from 20 countries, continues on Friday (24 April) with multiple field events and track races over 200m and 800m.

 

Live results can be found here.