Paralympics: US swimmer Arlen finally wins gold

LONDON: US swimmer Victoria Arlen on Saturday took Britain Ellie Simmonds' S6 100m freestyle title, swimming to victory in a new world record for her first Paralympic gold of the London Games.

The 17-year-old led from the front to take the race in 1min 13.33sec, more than a second faster than her previous world best, with Beijing champion

Simmonds in silver and Tanya Groepper of Germany in third.Simmonds won both the S6 100m and 400m freestyle titles in Beijing four years ago at the age of just 13. She successfully defended the longer race in London and added the 200m crown as well as a bronze in the 50m.

Arlen was the centre of a classification row before the start of the Games, which saw her omitted from the start lists then reinstated on appeal.

Concerns were then raised that she could be stripped of any gold medal were she to win but the International Paralympic Committee said that they would reassess her case in August next year.

Arlen's win was her first gold of the Games, after she took silver in the 50m and 400m freestyle and in the 4x100m freestyle 34 points relay.

At the age of 11, the teenager was diagnosed with the neurological condition post-infectious transverse myelitis, which affects the spinal cord and left her in a vegetative state for two years.(AFP)