Siobhan Paton used to get teased in school. Bullies called her a retard, flushed her head in the toilet and threw stones at her because she had a mild intellectual disability.
The playground taunts instilled in her a determination to prove them wrong and on Saturday the bubbly 17-year-old schoolgirl became one of Australia's greatest Paralympic swimmers.
Paton won her sixth gold medal of the Games, surpassing Priya Cooper as the Australian swimmer to win most gold at a single Paralympics.
Her efforts, which have included eight world records, also helped Australia consolidate its lead at the top of the medals table over Britain, Spain and the United States.
"I don't think they'll be teasing me anymore," said Paton after beating Emma Mounkley of Britain to win the 50m freestyle in a personal best 29.13s - an event she had never before won in international competition.
"This means that I can do it, and do it well."
After qualifying second by 0.1s behind Mounkley in the heats, Paton always had a fight on her hands but her battling spirit pulled her home when it counted.
"We're really good friend's and we like each-other," Paton said of her toughest challenger. "But when we're in the pool we are enemies."
Old enough to be her mother, Beatrice Hess, 38, went one better and picked up her seventh Sydney gold, helping France to the women's mixed disability medley relay final in a record 3.10.37s, 17 seconds ahead of Germany in second.
World records tumbled at every turn in the pool, with 15 new marks set in 23 races, including China's Xiaoming Xiong posting 26.36s in the men's 50m freestyle for swimmers with leg weakness.
On the track, cerebral palsy sprinter Tim Sullivan of Australia won his fifth gold in the 4x100m relay.
Australia's men gave the dominant host nation a spectacular start to the day, taking five Wheelchair sprinter John Lindsay, the reigning champion, topped off a near-perfect morning for the Aussies when he won the T53 100m in 15.59s, ahead of Thailand's Sopa Intasen.
It followed Geoff Trappett taking gold in the T54 100m by upsetting world record holder David Holding of Britain.
Tim Matthews delighted the crowd by throwing his shoes, a la Maurice Greene, into the crowd after Australia's amputate 4x100m relay team smashed the world record of 44.64s by more than a second.
"We knew if we got around it would be almost impossible to beat us," said Matthews.
In the field, Mexican Adrian Paz speared his javelin a world record 19.34m to win gold in the wheelchair category ahead of teammate Maximo Mauro.
Another record fell in the men's wheelchair discus when Iran's Aref Khosravinia added a meter to the former mark of 44.05m.
More than 10,000 people watched Australia's David Hall, a four-time US Open champion, win gold in the men's wheelchair tennis final.
In windy conditions, the world No.1 came from a set down to trounce Stephen Welch of the United States 6-7 (3-7) 6-4 6-2.
It was Australia's first ever tennis gold.
"There were a few tears there," said Hall. "I've been thinking about this ever since Sydney was awarded the Games."
In the women's doubles, Dutch pair Esther Vergeer and Maaike Smit overpowered Australia to give the Netherlands its third tennis gold.
The table tennis competition wrapped up with lavish praise heaped on the Sydney organizers and two gold for Korea.
"It is the best Paralympic table tennis competition in all aspects, in terms of presentation, media coverage, competition management and staffing," said International Table Tennis Committee president Christian Lillieroos. "It is the model to follow."
Britain continued its equestrian dominance with Lee Pearson riding to gold in the individual freestyle to go with the one he won in the dressage.
Jo Jackson took the honors in the women's individual dressage to give the Brits five of the nine equestrian gold at stake here.
Power lifting gold went to Iran and the United States while Iran triumphed overcame Bosnia in the sitting volleyball final -- SYDNEY (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
