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Day at a Glance

More records fall in swimming competition

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Erin Popovich set another world mark in her 100-meter breaststroke on her way to another gold medal. Scott Barbour/Allsport

By Luba Vangelova, Special to CNNSI.com

Tuesday at the International Aquatic Centre ended as it began, with a world record. Between the first record (set by Mexico's Arnulfo Castorena in a 50-meter breaststroke heat) and the last (set by the Japanese women in the 50-meter freestyle relay final), 15 other world records and 10 Paralympic records were broken in the pool, the most of any day thus far at these Games.

American Erin Popovich -- with a gold, a silver, and two world records (later broken by another swimmer) already in hand from these Paralympics -- set another world mark in her 100-meter breaststroke heat Tuesday morning. She then handily won her final in the evening. Later still, the 15-year-old dwarf swimmer capped off her night with a strong anchor leg in the 4x50-meter freestyle relay that earned her and her teammates (who have various limb disabilities) a silver medal.

France's Beatrice Hess, despite finishing fourth in the breaststroke race won by Popovich, officially broke the record for her class (she was competing in a less disabled class because there weren't enough swimmers in hers to warrant a separate race). Hess had already won three gold medals at these Games and will compete in three more events.

Trischa Zorn finished outside the medal positions in the 100-meter freestyle. But Dan Kelly, looking like a superhero with his black swimming cap pulled down over his goggles at the start of the race, won his second gold in Sydney, in a 100-meter freestyle for the totally blind.

Storylines

Wheelchair rugby starts Wednesday; it will be a full medal sport for the first time at these Games. The U.S. team has never lost in an international tournament, but they expect tough competition from New Zealand and Australia (who poached the Americans' previous Paralympics coach). Road cycling also gets going Wednesday; these Games mark the first time cerebral palsy athletes will compete in this event. The disputed women's 800-meter wheelchair race (which featured a collision in the first half of the first lap) will not be rerun on Thursday after all. Canada's appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was upheld; Canadian Chantal Petitclerc will get the gold medal and Australian Louise Sauvage the silver. It wasn't just in the pool that records were falling Tuesday. American Rob Evans (who is missing a right hand) broke his second world record of these Games Tuesday when he won the 5,000 meters. The crowd loved him for carrying both the U.S. and Australian flags on his victory lap, a gesture he made to thank the fans for their support. Later, American wheelchair racer Cheri Becerra set a Paralympic record in the 400-meter final. She's now won two golds (the other was in the 100 meters) and is hoping for a third in the 200 meters on Friday.

Athlete of the hour

Turkmenistan's Atajan Begniyazov, who thrilled the opening ceremony audience with his handstands and balancing push-ups, didn't win any medals in his powerlifting competition today. But he recorded a personal best of 135 kilograms, and that, plus the excitement of competing at the Paralympics, suited him just fine. "At home I read fairy tales and wonder where they come from," he said. "The fairy tale is right here on the ground in Australia."

Beauts

The Brazilian fans are upholding their reputations as the most festive sports fans. At the pool Tuesday night, they tossed bright yellow T-shirts to anyone within range. Then one of their supporters, sporting an alligator suit and the de rigeur T-shirt, led a conga line in front of the first row of seats. The crowd at the sitting volleyball venue tossed around a giant beach ball while the Australian team (nicknamed "The Crabs") played Korea. Nigel Murray of Great Britain and Gabriel Shelly of Ireland won their countries' first gold medals in boccia in their respective cerebral palsy, wheelchair-bound categories.

Busts

The Hong Kong men's (wheelchair) fencing team almost upset the top-seeded Germans in one of Tuesday's semifinals. But they couldn't quite pull it off, finally falling 45-43. Chinese swimmer Zhang Yuan was disqualified from her 100-meter freestyle event because her team failed to provide a "tapper." That person is responsible for tapping blind swimmers with a tennis ball (or other item) on the end of a long pole to warn them they are nearing the wall.

Gold rush

Athletics - men's 200m, women's 1500m, and other events Road Cycling - women's tandem 50/60km road race, men's tandem 100/120km road race, mixed 1500m tricycle time trial Swimming - men's and women's 50m backstroke, 100m freestyle, men's 100m backstroke, women's 50m backstroke

On the spot

Brian Frasure, who placed second in Saturday's 100 meters, will get another shot at gold in Wednesday's 200-meter final for single, below-knee amputees. He already set the world record for this distance in Monday's semifinal.

 

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