Nailing it! Jiang surges to swimming glory

Before the Paris Paralympics, Jiang Yuyan added a touch of flair to her left hand — a set of long, sparkling nails that she hoped might offer a slight psychological edge in competition.

In reality, Jiang needed no such boost. On the opening day of the Paris Paralympics, she delivered a commanding performance in the women's 50m freestyle S6 final at the Paris La Defense Arena on Thursday, capturing gold with a time of 35.59 seconds. In doing so, she not only left her competitors behind but also shattered the Paralympic record she had set just hours earlier in the preliminaries.

"I was genuinely surprised to break the record twice," Jiang admitted. "I'm typically a slow starter. At the Tokyo Paralympics, I didn't perform well in this event on the first day — I didn't even reach my usual training level."

Three years ago, she finished just off the podium in fourth place. But in Paris, she finally made up for that.

After claiming gold, Jiang was met by American swimmer Ellie Marks, the silver medalist, who swam over to embrace her in celebration. "I swam against incredible women, and I'm very proud of all of them. I'm proud to swim with them," Marks said.

Jiang and Marks are well-acquainted rivals, having faced off in numerous events and frequently sharing the podium. "No matter who wins or loses, we always make sure to congratulate each other afterward," Jiang noted.

She credits her recent successes to a combination of scientific training and a professional support team. Over the past two years, she has intensified her focus on strength and explosiveness, allowing her to comfortably secure the gold in the 50m freestyle — an event that was once a weaker spot in her repertoire.

At just 19 years old, she has already become a "gold medal machine". At the Tokyo Games, she won two golds, one silver, and one bronze. Over the 2019 and 2023 World Championships, she amassed a total of seven gold medals, and at last year's Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, she dominated with seven golds and one bronze.

As she competes in the Paris Paralympics, Jiang's goal is clear: to defend her Tokyo titles and achieve even better results in other events.

"My training and skills have improved significantly over the past few years, and I've gained more confidence from competing on the international stage," she said.

"In the past, I always focused on my opponents, using them as my benchmark. Now, my goal is to surpass myself.

"Each race is just one shot in time. Once it's over, I completely put it behind me and pour all my energy into the next one."

Three years ago, in Tokyo, Jiang was the youngest member of the Chinese delegation. Now, at 19, she feels the weight of greater expectations, and admits to feeling more nervous than she did in Tokyo.

"Representing China, I feel it's essential to perform at my highest level," She said. "The pressure I feel comes from a strong sense of duty. My team shares this mission-driven mind-set, and we consistently perform better in relay events than in individual ones."

On Friday, in the mixed 4x50m freestyle relay 20 points event, Jiang and her teammates rose to the pressure admirably, winning with a world record time of 2:14.98, earning Jiang her second gold medal of the Games.

"With three strong teammates by my side today, I felt I couldn't let them down. We needed to secure this gold medal," Jiang said. "The pressure was greater than the day before, which made winning today even more satisfying."