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Zheng Tao (swimmer)

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Zheng Tao
Personal information
Nicknamearmless swimmer
Born (1990-12-26) 26 December 1990 (age 33)
Kunming City, China
SpouseYang Meili[1]
Other interestsFishing
Sport
SportSwimming
DisabilityLimb deficiency (Acquired)
Disability classS5/SB6/SM5
ClubYunnan Province [Kunming, CHN]
Coached byZhang, Honghu

Zheng Tao (Chinese: 郑涛, born 26 December 1990) is a Chinese para swimmer and five-time Paralympic champion. He is known as the "armless swimmer".[2] He made a world record by winning 4 gold medals in Tokyo 2020 Paralympic.

Early life

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Zheng lost his arms due to an electric shock when he was a child.[1]

Swimming career

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In 2004 Zheng took up the sport of Swimming and in 2010 he made his international swimming debut when Zheng represented China at the World Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands.[1]

Zheng competed in his first Paralympic Games at the 2012 London Paralympics, where he won the gold medal in a close race in the 100m backstroke S6 final.[2]

At the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, he suffered a lower back injury but still won the gold medal at the Men's 100 metre backstroke S6 event with a world record of 1:10.84, two seconds faster than the previous record, which was established by himself in 2015.[2] He then caught the stomach flu on the day of the 50-metre butterfly S6 final, and lost to his teammate Xu Qing, winning a silver medal in the event.[2]

At the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, he won the gold medal at the Men's Butterfly S5 event with a world record of 30.62, the gold medal at the Men's Backstroke S5 event with a world record of 31.42 and the gold medal at the 50m Freestyle S5. He also won the gold medal at the Mixed 4x50m Freestyle Relay - 20 Points.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Swimming: ZHENG Tao". Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 28 August 2021. Date of Birth: 25 Dec 1990, Place of birth: KUNMING
  2. ^ a b c d Feng, Sophia (28 December 2016). "Zheng vows to only swim for pleasure in 2017". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
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