Franklin & Marshall swimmer Becca Meyers will add to her already-impressive resume next week as she competes at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Meyers will strive for gold in five events during the games, the second of her career, which run from Sept. 7-18.
Following the opening ceremonies on Sept. 7, Meyers will take the pool on Thursday, Sept. 8 for the S13 women's 100-meter butterfly. Preliminary heats will be contested during the morning session, with the finals contested during the day's evening session. Meyers took second in this event at the IPC Swimming World Championships in 2015, and qualified for this year's events after winning the U.S. Trials with a time of 1:07.02.
The Timonium, Md. native will be back on the water on Sept. 10, competing in the prelims of the SM13 200-meter individual medley in the morning before again going for gold in the evening. Meyers took silver in the 200 IM at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, won gold at the 2015 IPC Championships, and currently holds the world record in the event. Her time of the 2:29.50 at the U.S. Trials was good for first place and puts her squarely in medal contention.
Action continues on Sept. 12 with the S13 400-meter freestyle, another event in which she holds the world record. The 2015 IPC Champion, Meyers coasted through the trials, winning the event with a time of 4:27.87. She will compete in the prelims during the day's morning session before once more going for gold at night.
Meyers' fourth of five competitions, the S13 50-meter freestyle, will hold prelims and finals on Sept. 14. At the London 2012 Games, she took fifth in the event, and qualified for the Rio games after posting a time of 28.76 to take third at the U.S. Trials.
The last of Meyer's five events will take place on Sept. 16 when she competes in the S13 100-meter freestyle. The bronze medalist in London, she will look to again reach the podium in her final event in Rio after taking first at the trials with a time of 1:01.55.
Meyers, now a two-time Paralympian, was born deaf and suffers from Usher Syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes gradual hearing, balance and vision loss. During the games, she will be raising funds for the The Usher Coalition, which provides funds for researching a cure.
The coalition is launching a 26-day campaign that coincides with the games and culminates with a celebration of Global Usher Awareness Day on Sept. 17.
NBC and NBCSN will provide coverage of Becca and her Paralympic teammates as they go for gold in Rio.
