World Games: Bart Swings wins rollerblading medals
Bart Swings is used to winning medals in ice speed skating, but has now won five medals, four of them gold, at the roller skating World Games.
This year the World Games took place in Birmingham, Alabama (United States). Held every four years since 1981, this competition brings together more than 25 non-Olympic sports such as rhythmic gymnastics, squash, sumo and rollerblading. Almost 4,500 athletes from 100 countries participate under the aegis of an association recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
The Belgian Bart Swings was competing in several roller skating speed races. Preferring speed races to long distances, he easily won the gold medal in the 10,000 metre road points race by collecting the maximum number of points possible (27 points), outperforming his immediate pursuer, the Colombian Daniel Zapata Martinez (8 points).
The skater from Brabant also competed in the elimination race, again over 10,000 metres. Once again, he emerged victorious. In the meantime, he had to be content with the bronze medal in the sprint over a distance of 1,000 metres.
Bart Swings, who had already taken part in the last two Games (Cali 2013 in Colombia and Wroclaw 2017 in Poland) therefore took his World Games medal haul to 11. He now has seven golds, two silvers and two bronzes.
Let's not forget that at the age of 31, the Belgian skater was crowned Olympic champion in ice speed skating at the Winter Olympics in Beijing in 2022.