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Lewis sets personal bests in Canada

Jessica Lewis

Bermuda wheelchair para-athlete Jessica Lewis gave an impressive performance at the Boiling Point track and field meet at the University of Windsor, Canada, at the weekend.The meet featured more than 100 para-athletes the highest number of entries in Boiling Point’s five-year history.Lewis did not disappoint as she wheeled her way to her fastest 100 and 200 metre times and second fastest time in the 400m.Her coach Gerry Swan, who started working with her two years ago, attended the meet to see Lewis perform.Lewis opened up at the meet with her fastest 200m to date clocking a time of 37.46 seconds to win her section.That surpassed her previous fastest time of 37.83 seconds, recorded at the 2010 Canadian National Championships.Her third race of the day was the 400m. Feeling the effects of her first two events, the 200m and 100m races, Lewis struggled to hold her stroke dynamics during the middle portion of that event, but showed tremendous character as she strongly rallied over the last 50m to finish fifth with her second fastest time to date for the one lap event, 1:17.62.The 100m, the second race at the meet for Lewis, was her marquee event. She clocked a new personal best time of 19.82 seconds, the first time she has covered that distance faster than 20 seconds and, most importantly, got closer to the ‘A’ qualifying standard (of 19.00 seconds) for the 2012 Paralympic Games, which will be held in London.Lewis’ previous best 100m time was 20.18 seconds, achieved last year.The ‘B’ standard for next year’s Paralympic Games is 37.50 seconds, and although Lewis’ 200m time of 37.46 seconds at the weekend is faster than the qualifying standard, the wind factor was above the allowable limit of 2.0m per second.The qualifying period for the 2012 Paralympic Games ends August 5, 2012.Lewis has only been able to return to competition recently due to a combination of illnesses, viruses and the side effects from back surgery.She has qualified at the 100m, 200m and 400m for this year’s Parapan American Games. Those Games will be hosted by Mexico for a two-week period during November.