Sweden wins first gold medals in Beijing
Swedish athletes have finally won gold in Beijing as two of the country’s Paralympians achieved victory on Monday.
Marksman Jonas Jacobsson took home Sweden’s first gold medal from Beijing in 2008 by amassing more than 700 points to win the Men's 10m Air Rifle Standing Position, and shatter an eight-year-old world record in the process.
The win gave Jacobsson his 14th Paralympic gold, and marked an impressive streak of having one at least one gold medal at every Paralympics in which he’s competed since his first in 1980.
“I thought I’d need more than 700 points for gold. My result was actually the same that they had in the Olympics, which I think is pretty neat. It was about maintaining my focus on the right things after the qualifier, that was the hardest,” he told the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper.
Later in the day, Jacobsson’s Paralympic teammate Anders Olsson provided Sweden with its second gold medal by winning the men’s 100 metre freestyle.
While he trailed at the turn to Yuan Tang from China, Olsson came back in the second half of the race to overcome his opponent.
“I’d set up a tactic that I’d stay a half length behind at the turn in order to then break free with 25 metres left, and it worked. The crowd’s support of the Chinese may have actually helped me more,” said Olsson to DN.
His winning time of 1:05.95 minutes broke Olsson’s own world record time of 1:06.08.
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Marksman Jonas Jacobsson took home Sweden’s first gold medal from Beijing in 2008 by amassing more than 700 points to win the Men's 10m Air Rifle Standing Position, and shatter an eight-year-old world record in the process.
The win gave Jacobsson his 14th Paralympic gold, and marked an impressive streak of having one at least one gold medal at every Paralympics in which he’s competed since his first in 1980.
“I thought I’d need more than 700 points for gold. My result was actually the same that they had in the Olympics, which I think is pretty neat. It was about maintaining my focus on the right things after the qualifier, that was the hardest,” he told the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper.
Later in the day, Jacobsson’s Paralympic teammate Anders Olsson provided Sweden with its second gold medal by winning the men’s 100 metre freestyle.
While he trailed at the turn to Yuan Tang from China, Olsson came back in the second half of the race to overcome his opponent.
“I’d set up a tactic that I’d stay a half length behind at the turn in order to then break free with 25 metres left, and it worked. The crowd’s support of the Chinese may have actually helped me more,” said Olsson to DN.
His winning time of 1:05.95 minutes broke Olsson’s own world record time of 1:06.08.
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