S11 (classification)

S11 race at the 2012 Paralympics: swimmers being tapped to show they should turn

S11, SB11, SM11 are disability swimming classifications for blind swimmers.

Sport

This classification is for swimming.[1] In the classification title, S represents Freestyle, Backstroke and Butterfly strokes. SB means breaststroke. SM means individual medley.[1] Jane Buckley, writing for the Sporting Wheelies, describes the swimmers in this classification as having: "unable to see at all and are considered totally blind. (see IBSA B1 – appendix)Swimmers must wear blackened goggles if they swim in this class. They will also require someone to tap them when they are approaching a wall."[1]

Getting classified

Internationally, the classification is done by the International Blind Sports Association.[2] In Australia, to be classified in this category, athletes contact the Australian Paralympic Committee or their state swimming governing body.[3] In the United States, classification is handled by the United States Paralympic Committee on a national level. The classification test has three components: "a bench test, a water test, observation during competition."[4] American swimmers are assessed by four people: a medical classified, two general classified and a technical classifier.[4]

Competitions

For this classification, organisers of the Paralympic Games have the option of including the following events on the Paralympic programme: 50m, 100m and 400m Freestyle, 100m Backstroke, 100m Breaststroke, 100m Butterfly, 200m Individual Medley, and 4x100m Freestyle Relay and 4x100m Medley Relay.[5]

Records

As of February 2013, in the S11 50 m Freestyle Long Course, the men's world record is held by Yang Bozan and the women's world record is held by Cecilia Camellini.[6] In the S11 400 m Freestyle Long Course, the men's world record is held by the American John Morgan and the women's world record is held by German Daniela Schulte.[7]

Competitors

Swimmers who have competed in this classification include Alexander Chekurov,[8] Enhamed Enhamed[8] and Junichi Kawai[8] who all won medals in their class at the 2008 Paralympics.[8]

American swimmers who have been classified by the United States Paralympic Committee as being in this class include Katie Pavlacka, Rio Popper, Julianna Raiche and Rylie Robinson.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Buckley, Jane (2011). "Understanding Classification: A Guide to the Classification Systems used in Paralympic Sports". Retrieved 12 November 2011.
  2. ↑ "IBSA Medical Classification". International Blind Sports Association. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  3. ↑ "Classification Information Sheet" (PDF). Australian Paralympic Committee. 8 March 2011. p. 3. Retrieved 17 November 2011.
  4. 1 2 "U.S. Paralympics National Classification Policies & Procedures SWIMMING". United States Paralympic Committee. 26 June 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  5. ↑ "Swimming Classification". The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. 2008. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  6. ↑ "IPC Swimming World Records Long Course" (PDF). International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  7. ↑ "IPC Swimming World Records Long Course" (PDF). International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  9. ↑ "USA NATIONAL CLASSIFICATION DATABASE" (PDF). United States Paralympic Committee. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, May 14, 2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.