First gold for Johnson as GB claim more medals

By Paul Carter

Liz Johnson went one better than her performance in Athens in 2004 by taking SB9 100m breaststroke gold in Beijing’s Water Cube.

It was a particularly poignant win for the Welsh swimmer, whose mother died on the day she left for the pre-Games training camp in Macau.

Johnson controlled the race from the off, winning in a time of 1:41.87, although Sarah Bowen of Australia began to close the gap in the closing stages.

“I couldn’t see anybody, I thought I saw splashes from the side but wasn’t sure and just told myself to keep going,” she said.

“It’s been difficult waiting. I’ve seen a lot of competition and was itching to get going. Then this morning came and I was quite nervous. It’s really weird. You get nerves but as soon as the whistle blows, that’s it, you’re in the zone.”

Johnson’s victory was Britain’s second swimming gold of the day, after teenager Sam Hynd set a new world record on his way to winning the S8 400m freestyle.

Hynd said: “I’m very pleased with my performance tonight. It’s a new world record which I’m absolutely ecstatic with, I couldn’t be happier. It meant the world to me, I’ve been training for this particular event for over two years now.”