Tokyo Paralympics: The swimming events you need to watch each day

Australian swimmers stunned at the Olympics. Now it’s the turn of our Paralympians to turn the waters into a stream of gold in Tokyo. The top races to watch each day and athletes to follow.

Australia’s swimmers are tipped to win the bulk of the medals for Australia.

Australian swimmers stunned the world with their incredible haul at the Olympic Games.

Now it’s the turn of our Paralympians to turn the waters into a stream of gold in Tokyo.

We spoke to the experts and here’s a guide to the races you won’t want to miss in the Paralympic pool and the swimmers to keep your eye out for.

Ahmed Kelly preparing for his events in Tokyo.

DAY ONE SWIMMING HIGHLIGHTS: AUGUST 25

The swimming event starts off with a bang with plenty of big name Aussies making their first appearances.

Races to follow include the 400m freestyle S9 where the likes of Ellie Cole, Lakeisha Patterson, Brendan Hall, William Martin and Alex Tuckfield will race.

Martin is making his debut and Tuckfield is a 16-year-old rookie from Sydney’s northern beaches.

Hall won gold at the last two Paralympics and is the form favourite. Cole and Patterson could also be pressing for medals in their racing.

Col Pearse training at the Paralympic pool ahead of the meet.

The S14 100m butterfly will feature Paralympic rookies Ricky Betar and Benjamin Hance. Hance is the world record holder in the backstroke and both are expected to make the final.

The women’s S14 100m butterfly is another to watch with Ruby Storm and Paige Leonhardt competing.

Keep your eye out for the Aussies in the S10 50m freestyle as well.

The experienced Rowan Crothers is our main contender and a world record holder.

Ben Popham is another to watch. He burst onto the scene at the Pan Pacs back in 2018.

Ben Popham and teammates in a training session.

DAY TWO SWIMMING HIGHLIGHTS, AUGUST 26

After a massive opening day you can just sit back and watch things unfold on day two.

The standout race on day two of the swimming program will be the SB8 100m breaststroke.

Tim Disken from PLC Aquatin in Victoria is our man in this event.

Team insiders are hoping he makes the final where he could be an outside medal chance.

Disken trains at the AIS in Canberra and was Rio gold medallist in the 100m free which has been dropped in Tokyo.

Brenden Hall enjoying a training session before the Games kicked off.

DAY 3 SWIMMING HIGHLIGHTS, AUGUST 27

The men’s 200m S14 will have two athletes under the spotlight in Liam Schluter and Betar who is from Auburn in Sydney’s west.

Schluter was fourth at the Rio Paralympics in this event and a Commonwealth Games medallist.

In the individual medley watch out for SM7 competitor Tiffany Thomas Kane from Sydney’s north shore.

Her main event is the 100m breaststroke. She won a gold in Rio in the SB6 100m breaststroke but has moved up a class for Tokyo.

Australia will be one of the top teams at the Paralympics.

DAY 4 SWIMMING HIGHLIGHTS, AUGUST 28

Check out the 100m freestyle S10 event on day four.

Rowan Crothers from the 50m is hopefully swimming for a second medal in this event.

Crothers is from Brisbane’s Yeronga club swimming club and a Commonwealth Games finalist.

Rookie Jasmine Greenwood from the NSW south coast is also up in the S10 100m freestyle.

It’s been a difficult lead-up for Greenwood who had to relocate from her NSW home to Queensland to train for the Games.

The 150m individual medley S34 race is also on. This is for the most impaired swimmers.

Here we will represented by two swimmers who are well known to sport fans in Ahmed Kelly and Grant “Scooter’’ Patterson. These two personalities are both a chance of a medal.

The same night the mixed 4x100 freestyle S14 relay will be raced.

Grant Patterson on the pool deck.

Team Australia coach, Greg Towle.

DAY FIVE SWIMMING HIGHLIGHTS, AUGUST 29

There’s a standout race and a standout guy racing on day five.

Jake Michel, from the Carina Leagues club, is up in the men’s SB14 100m breaststroke

Michel is a towering redhead - who stands over 2m - and is ranked second in the world in this event.

The women’s 100m SB 14 is also on with Leonhardt competing along with Ashley Van Rijswijk from Wagga Wagga.

Another race of interest will be the men’s S9 500m freestyle with Disken and Martin both competing.

Disken won gold in the 100m in Rio but only has the 500m to contest in Tokyo.

Brazilian swimmer Gabriel Geraldo dos Santos Araujo training for the Gamesa.

DAY SIX SWIMMING HIGHLIGHTS, AUGUST 30

The 100m backstroke S9 is on and Tim Hodge from Sydney is a contender.

Hodge trains at Auburn in western Sydney. Ricky Betar also trains at the club and could be one of the few swimmers in Tokyo with family close by as he was born in Japan.

Ellie Cole will be up in the women’s event and up against a swimmer who could be the star of the meet - New Zealander Sophie Pascoe who won six gold medals in Rio.

Another highlight will be the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay. Australia medalled in this event at the 2019 worlds and will hopefully repeat the feat in Tokyo.

Freestyle athletes like 34-year-old Matt Levy will contest this event.

Ahmed Kelly is one of the more experienced members of the team.

DAY SEVEN SWIMMING HIGHLIGHTS, AUGUST 31

Ben Popham is up in the S8 400m freestyle on day seven and should be in with a chance of a medal in this event.

Also of interest will be the men’s 100m butterfly S10 race.

This event will feature Col Pearse, whose parents put milk bottles in their dam so he could train during the coronavirus. He is a Games rookie and just 18.

Fellow rookie Greenwood is also racing and a chance of medalling

The backstroke flags in the Paralympic pool.

DAY EIGHT SWIMMING HIGHLIGHTS, SEPTEMBER 1

Blake Cochrane will be swimming the men’s 100m breaststroke in Tokyo.

The four-time Paralympic medallist was a late call-up to the team and keen to make the most of the situation.

Also back in the pool in the SB7 women’s breaststroke event is Thomas Kane.

The Sydney swimmer won this event at the 2019 worlds but is in a different classification in Tokyo.

There is also much interest in newbie Tom Gallagher who will compete in the men’s 400m freestyle.

The swimming is expected to be one of the most watched events in Tokyo.

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DAY NINE SWIMMING HIGHLIGHTS, SEPTEMBER 2

It will be a big day out on day nine.

Nudgee’s Will Martin is up in his pet event - the men’s 100m butterfly S9.

He only made his first Paralympic team in 2019 and has shown enormous improvement since.

Ben Hance is the world record holder in the 100m backstroke S14 and primed for a fast finish to the Games.

Rachael Watson from Chandler will be swimming the S4 women's 50m freestyle.

She was a gold medallist in Rio and won silver at the 2019 world champs.

DAY 10 SWIMMING HIGHLIGHTS, SEPTEMBER 3

The last event is the 4x100m medley for 34 points.

Australia has a chance of a medal in this event with Ben Popham, Tim Hodge, Tim Disken and Will Martin likely to compete.

Read more from AMANDA LULHAM HERE