ANTIGONISH, N.S. – Roy Paynter continued to shine in the pool at the Special Olympics Canada 2018 Summer Games on Thursday.
Paynter, a 21-year-old Kensington resident, won two bronze medals in the 50-metre breaststroke and 100-metre backstroke. Paynter has now earned four medals after winning a pair of gold medals in the 50-metre freestyle and 50-metre backstroke on Wednesday.
“It felt awesome,” said Paynter in describing the feeling of winning the medals on the national stage in a phone interview with the Journal Pioneer early Thursday afternoon. “I loved it. It was a different experience. Yes, I’ve won tons of medals, but it is different every time.”
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Final times
Paynter’s final times in his bronze-medal swims were 46.7 seconds in the breaststroke and 1:34.72 in the backstroke. Both were personal-best times for Paynter, who took four seconds off his record in the 50-metre breaststroke and knocked 10 seconds off his previous standard in the 100-metre backstroke. Paynter’s gold-medal-winning times were 44.41 seconds in the backstroke, and 34.9 seconds in the freestyle.
“I don’t really kick that much, but I have really strong arms, so I just power through it,” said Paynter in describing his style in the pool.
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When asked how he is enjoying the experience of a National Summer Games, Paynter commented: “It’s going good. It’s a different environment. It’s warm and humid, and it’s fun.”
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