Porter Wins Gold with Second Gold Medal

WAIS Paralympian Katrina Porter claimed a gold medal last night in the 100m backstroke after breaking her own world record in a blistering final at the Water Cube in Beijing.

Porter shaved .14 of a second off the time she had set in her morning heat and capped a momentous day for the Perth 20 year-old by swimming to gold in front of friends and family.

Porter had admitted she was apprehensive about swimming the backstroke in the Beijing Water Cube due to the unconventional design of the roof.

“I had a really big phobia coming here because the roof isn’t straight,” she said.

“I’ve always been really bad at swimming in the middle of the lane and that’s been my biggest fault at training; my coach just says ‘will you ever learn to swim in the middle lane?’

“I haven’t been able to guide myself but lane 4 has a pole the whole way, so I just kept telling myself to aim at the pole and you’ll go straight.”

Katrina Porter had two major dreams that she didn’t believe could come true at Beijing, two win a gold medal and break a world record.

“I didn’t think I’d get both of them… I just went all out and I’m so happy…I’m elated and shocked,” she said.

“It hasn’t really sunk in – when I touched the wall I didn’t actually think I was in front. I had no idea where anyone was and I just thought ‘far out this is going to be really close.”

After setting a new world record in the heats, Porter knew she would have to refocus for the night final.

“I knew I couldn’t be happy with that – if I haven’t got a gold medal then what’s the point of having a world record? A record is a record, but far out, gold is incredible,” she said.

Porter’s mother Alice spoke with ABC radio on Thursday morning and told of a little girl who was determined to achieve her dreams and stressed how proud she and the extend family were of Katrina’s success.

Katrina herself was humbled by the support not only of family but of her partner Michael Hartnett, who is in Beijing representing the Australian men’s wheelchair basketball team.

“I’m glad I’ve made it worthwhile for all of them,” she said. “To have my boyfriend Michael Hartnett here just makes it great.”

Porter was crowned the 2008 WAIS disabled athlete of the year at the WA Institute’s Champion’s Breakfast awards earlier this year.

The 2008 Beijing Paralympics will be telecast on ABC television with over 100 hours of action scheduled to air between September 6-17. For a full schedule of WA athlete events and times click here.