Cypriot swimmer Karolina Pelendritou secured the bronze medal in women’s 50 m freestyle S11 at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Pelendritou finished third behind the Chinese duo, Ma Zia who finished first setting a new world record of 29.46’’ and Li Guizhi second with 29.66, clocking a time of 29.80’. Ma broke Peledritou’s new world record of 29.92 she set in the qualifying heats earlier today.
This is the fifth Paralympic medal for the 34-year old swimmer, following the gold medals in 100m breaststroke (SB13) in the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games and gold in the 100m breaststroke (SB12) and bronze in the 200m medley (S12) in Beijing and the bronze medal in the 200 m breaststroke (SB12) in the London Paralympics.
President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades hailed Pelendritou’s new medal as “a great triumph.”
Pelendritou “raises the Cypriot colours high for the fourth Olympiad,” he said in a post on Twitter
Furthermore, both the President of the Cyprus Olympic Committee and the President of the Cyprus Paralympic Committee as well as the President of the Cyprus Sport Organization welcomed Pelendritou’s achievement in Tokyo.