SINGAPORE – National para-swimmer Yip Pin Xiu set her second world record in three days at the IPC Swimming European Open Championships in Fuchal, Portugal on Saturday morning (May 7) when she splashed her way to victory in the 50m backstroke S2 final.

The 24-year-old stopped the clock at 1min 00.64sec at the Penteada Olympic Swimming Complex to better her own world mark of 1:01.61 set at last December’s Asean Para Games in Singapore.

On Thursday, Yip had timed 1:01.39 in the first 50m of her 100m backstroke S2 final en route to smashing Ukraine’s Ganna Lelisavetska’s world mark by over six seconds.

Norway’s Ingrid Thunem took silver (1:06.53) in the 50m backstroke S2 final, while Russian swimmer Alexandra Agafonova was third (1:06.75). Yip was not immediately available to speak after her race, but her coach Mick Massey told TODAY that the performance of both Yip and national teammate Theresa Goh had “exceeded” his expectations.

“Their times here are faster than I have anticipated, and I am very proud of the girls,” he said.

“Swimming so many events within the space of three days is not easy, and taking a world record, then coming back the following day to set another one really shows her strength and character.

“The results here have definitely increased the confidence of both Pin Xiu and Theresa as we gear up preparations for the Rio Paralympics. But, we will only celebrate tonight, maybe the next couple of days too, and we will put these results to bed and continue our grind.”

It is about four months to go to the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro (Sept 7-18), and Yip, who has muscular dystrophy - a condition marked by the progressive weakening of her muscles – has been training full-time for the Games since last November.

She is Singapore’s first and only Paralympics gold medallist, with her win in the 50m backstroke, S3 event in 2008 Games in Beijing.

At the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, she missed out on a medal after finishing fourth in both the 50 and 100m freestyle S3 events.