S8 (classification)

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Priya Cooper, an S8 classified swimmer

S8, SB7, SM8 are disability swimming classifications used for categorising swimmers based on their level of disability.

History

The classification was created by the International Paralympic Committee and has roots in a 2003 attempt to address "the overall objective to support and co-ordinate the ongoing development of accurate, reliable, consistent and credible sport focused classification systems and their implementation."[1] In 1997, Against the odds : New Zealand Paralympians said this classification was graded along a gradient, with S1 being the most disabled and S10 being the least disabled.[2][clarification needed]

Definition

This classification is for swimming.[3] In the classification title, S represents Freestyle, Backstroke and Butterfly strokes. SB means breaststroke. SM means individual medley.[3][4] The number following indicates degree of disability, with one being the most severely physically impaired to ten having the least amount of physical disability.[5]

According to the International Paralympic Committee, examples of those eligible for the S8, SB7 and SM8 classes include "Swimmers who have lost either both hands or one arm [...] also, athletes with severe restrictions in the joints of the lower limbs."[4]

Jane Buckley, writing for the Sporting Wheelies, an Australian disability association, describes the swimmers in this classification as having: "full use of their arms and trunk with some leg function; Swimmers with coordination problems mainly in the lower limbs; Both legs amputated just above or just below the knee; Single above elbow amputation."[3]

Competitions

For this classification, organisers of the Paralympic Games have the option of including the following events on the Paralympic programme: 50 m and 100 m Freestyle, 400 m Freestyle, 100 m Backstroke, 100 m Butterfly, 100 m Breaststroke, and 200 m Individual Medley events.[6]

Paralympic records

The table below records the fastest ever Paralympic record in this class for specific events.

Event Class Time Name Nation Date Games Ref
50 m freestyle S8 26.45 WR Xiaofu Wang China Sep 14, 2008 2008 Beijing [7]
100 m freestyle S8 58.84 Xiaofu Wang China Sep 8, 2008 2008 Beijing [8]
400 m freestyle S8 4:26.25 WR Sam Hynd Great Britain Sep 12, 2008 2008 Beijing [9]
100 m backstroke S8 1:06.33 WR Konstantin Lisenkov Russia Sep 10, 2008 2008 Beijing [10]
100 m backstroke S8 1:06.33 WR Konstantin Lisenkov Russia Sep 10, 2008 2008 Beijing [10]
100 m butterfly S8 1:00.95 WR Peter Alan Stuart Leek Australia Sep 7, 2008 2008 Beijing [11]
100 m freestyle S8 1:05.32 WR Maddison Elliott Australia Jul 25, 2014 2014 Commonwealth Games [11]
Legend: # – Record awaiting ratification by IPC; WR – World record;
Records not set in finals: h – heat; r – relay 1st leg; rh – relay heat 1st leg

Records

In the S8 50 m Freestyle Long Course, the men's world record is held by China's Xiaofu Wang with a time of 00:26.45 and the women's world record is held by China's Shengnan Jiang with a time of 00:30.85.[12] In the S8 100 m Freestyle Long Course, the men's world record is held by Australia's Peter Leek and the women's world record is held by Australia's Maddison Elliott.[13]

Getting classified

In Australia, to be classified in this category, athletes contact the Australian Paralympic Committee or their state swimming governing body.[14] 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."[15] American swimmers are assessed by four people: a medical classified, two general classified and a technical classifier.[15]

Competitors

Swimmers who have competed in this classification include Amanda Everlove,[16] Sean Fraser,[16] and Heather Frederiksen,[16] who all won medals in their class at the 2008 Paralympics.[16]

See also

References

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  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 IPC Swimming Classification
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  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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