Trinidad and Tobago’s Paralympic swimmer Shanntol Ince won two more gold medals on the final day of the 2013 Youth Parapan American Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina yesterday to finish with four gold medals.
The 18-year-old swimmer reached the top of the podium in the women’s S9 100 metre butterfly and the women’s S9 100 metre freestyle events yesterday.
She also won the S9 400 metre freestyle on Thursday and followed up with gold in the 100 metre backstroke on Friday.
Yesterday, Ince won the butterfly final in a time of one minute, 21.89 seconds to finish ahead of Mexico’s Isabel Martinez, who clocked 1:45.85.
Ince also finished ahead of Martinez in the freestyle event, getting to the wall in a time of 1:12.86 seconds. Martinez clocked 1:29.63 in the freestyle final. The T&T swimmer won gold in all the events she competed in and her style in the pool impressed of many, according to T&T Paralympic Committee president Kenneth McKell.
“This is a proud moment for us. You cannot ask for anything better than four gold medals in four events,” said McKell, who was in Argentina to witness the games.
“She did her best and did her country proud and she has drawn admiration from the American Paralympic body as well and the International Paralympic organisation.
“She carried herself as a true diplomat and athlete and we can all be proud of what she has accomplished.
“Her style and movement were very smooth and she had good form in the pool and those were some of the commendations she got from and her major competitors, who all complemented her on carrying the regional flag so to speak,” McKell explained.
He said Ince’s achievements will also inspire other young athletes in T&T.
Ince was the only T&T swimmer at the Games, and McKell hopes her performance will motivate others to get into the pool.
“We have some young swimmers coming up and this provides them with an example on what we could achieve. It will inspire them,” he added.
Ince returns to Trinidad today at 4.30 p.m.