Portugal’s Diogo Cancela won the silver medal in the 100-meter butterfly S8 event at the European Open Paralympic Swimming Championships, which are taking place until Saturday at the Funchal Swimming Pool Complex.
The Louzan Natação swimmer, who is missing his arm, finished the race in 1.04.84 minutes, close to the national record for the distance (1.04.30), which belongs to him.
Cancela was 1.64 seconds behind the winner, Italy’s Alberto Amodeo (1.02.57), who took gold, while in second place, with a time of 1.03.65, was China’s Ting Li, who was allowed to take part because it was an Open competition, and therefore open to non-European swimmers, but who is excluded from the awarding of continental medals.
Spain’s Inigo Sanz Llopis finished fourth (1.06.06), but took the bronze medal.
Diogo Cancela, who competed at the Tokyo2020 Paralympic Games and is practically guaranteed a place at the Paris2024 Games, won the silver medal at the 2022 World Championships and the bronze medal at the 2022 World Championships, in the meters freestyle, a distance he will swim on Friday at the Europeans in Funchal.
