SEAHAM powerlifter Mark Swan claimed a silver medal at the Paralympic Games in Paris – but admitted his pride at finishing on the podium was tempered by disappointment at missing out on gold.
Swan, who was making his Paralympic debut, was competing in the men’s up to 65kg competition.
The 23-year-old performed impressively, managing a best lift of 213kg, but was narrowly beaten by Chinese lifter Yi Zou, who claimed the gold medal.
“It wasn’t what I was intending, I wanted a gold medal,” said Swan. “This is just the start. I’ll get my head down, have a break, then come back and try and smash every gym session.”
Swan made his breakthrough at the 2022 Commonwealth Games when he won a siver medal in the lightweight powerlifting event.
On a good evening for the British powerlifting team, Olivia Broome followed up her third-place finish at the Tokyo Paralympics by winning another bronze medal. Broome recorded a best lift of 119kg in the women’s up to 50kg event.
She said: “(I’m) over the moon. I don’t think I can put into words what this means to me.”
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