US swimmer Erin Popovich snatched her fourth gold medal of the Games Thursday in the women's 400m freestyle S7 - and is on track for two more.
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Erin Popovich (right) of the United States smiles after winning the gold medal in the women's 400m freestyle S7. Teammate Cortney Jordan (left) got the silver.
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Finishing the event in a Paralympic record time of 5 min 17.41 sec, Popovich beat compatriot Cortney Jordan to the second place, leaving the bronze to German Kirsten Bruhn - who was slower than the champion by more than 7 sec.
"It's a huge success for me. I'm very excited about what I did!" Popovich told The Paralympian.
Before Thursday's gold, she won gold medals in the 200m individual medley SM7, 100m freestyle S7, and 100m breaststroke SB7, setting two world and one Paralympic records.
"Swimming is really a huge part of my life," said the 23-year-old. "It really helps to keep my life a lot more balanced, and gives me something to work hard at."
Popovich, who stands 1.34m tall, was born with achondroplasia, a genetic disorder in bone growth that is evident at birth. It is the most common of a group of growth disabilities characterized by abnormal body proportions -- arms and legs that are very short, while the torso is nearly normal size.
But one look at her record shows that her disability has been no limit to her success.
As the US swimmer who won the most gold medals at the 2004 Athens Paralympics, Popovich accomplished something fellow American Michael Phelps had not done at that time in the Olympics -- she competed in seven events (including two relays) and won all the titles, while setting three world records and breaking four Paralympic records.
Popovich began swimming competitively in 1998 and in two years, at the Sydney Games, she won six medals (three gold, three silver) and broke four world records as a 15-year-old.
"The best thing about the Paralympic Games is that stereotypes are dispelled," said Popovich. "You see someone in a wheelchair or with a certain disability and instead of dwelling on their problems, you see they are focused on what they can achieve. I'm blown away by their abilities."
In Beijng, Popovich has proved that she has not been resting on her laurels.
She will also compete in her last two events -- the 50m butterfly and the 50m freestyle -- in which she is quietly confident of taking gold.
At the Water Cube Thursday, 10 countries -- Britain, the United States, Japan, Brazil, Australia, South Africa, Spain, Belarus, New Zealand and China -- shared the 13 swimming gold medals.
Australian swimmer Rick Pendleton snatched his country's third gold with a world record time of 2 min 12.78 sec in the men's 200m individual medley SM10.
His compatriot Matthew Cowdrey set another world record by clocking at 2:13.60, shaving 2.32 sec off the former record to win the gold in the men's 200m individual medley SM9. In the men's 200m individual medley SM8, another teammate, Peter Leek, won the gold by breaking the world record in 2:20.92.
"I thought a little bit of both them (Cowdrey and Leek), and they both smashed world records. So to be a third is a bit of a trifecta," said Pendleton.
In the men's 450m freestyle 20pts race, China beat Spain and Brazil to win the gold in a world record time of 2 min 18.15 sec, whittling 3.74 seconds off the mark set by Spain in 2006.
