National para swimmer Yip Pin Xiu fell just short of an eighth world crown after being edged out by 17-year-old neutral athlete Diana Koltsova, who stormed home in 2:19.60 with a blistering final 50 metres at the World Para Swimming Championships on Tuesday (Sep 23).
Heading into the turn, Yip was neck and neck with Italian Arjola Trimi, who was second-fastest in qualifying, with just a mere 0.18 seconds to separate the two. But 17-year-old Koltsova turned on the jets down the final stretch (1:10.16) to end Yip’s run of three consecutive world titles (London 2019, Madeira 2022, Manchester 2023).
Yip clocked 2:23.73 to secure silver ahead of Trimi (2:34.42).
“I think the time was not what I hoped it would be, but every race is something to grow and learn from. This is the year after the Paris (Paralympics), so there are three more years before the Los Angeles (Paralympics), so there’s plenty of time to learn and grow and continue to find the best strategy for what we want to do there,” the seven-time Paralympic gold medallist said.
Quizzed on the growing competitiveness of the field, Yip said: “It’s really good to see more and more athletes coming up. Of course, there’s always competition, but what’s nice is watching the sport grow. At the end of the day, that’s what we all want — for more people to take part in it and enjoy it.”
Emphasising that celebrations would only start after her final race in the 50m backstroke on Friday (Sep 26), Yip also thanked the home crowd for creating a party-like atmosphere in the stands.
“I love racing here. I think the home crowd has always been amazing. And to be able to see people who have supported me through the years here, being able to watch the race with their own eyes, I think it’s really meaningful for me. I hope that this is just the start and they continue following the journey.”
