Eagan's Mallory Weggemann eyes third Paralympic gold and another record

Eagan's Mallory Weggemann has already had a record-breaking Tokyo Paralympics, winning two gold medals and setting two Paralympic records in the SM7 200-meter individual medley and the S7 100-meter backstroke.

But the S7 50-meter butterfly, her final race at the Games (4:04 a.m. Friday Minnesota time), holds a special place in her heart.

Weggemann set the world record in the event in 2012 when she was 22. That was two years before an arm injury sent her through a grinding rehab that started a personal and professional journey to these Paralympics.

Thursday was a day off for Weggemann in Tokyo and it just-so-happened to be the nine-year anniversary of her first Paralympic gold, won in London in 2012.

"I have my final race tomorrow, which is my world record race, it's my baby, I'm so excited for this thing," Weggemann said. "I'm ready to go. I've got another amazing race to have tomorrow. Today I get the day off and I also get to take that time, which I have taken every Sept. 2 since 2012, to reflect and honor the journey that got me to that moment in my life."

Still, if Weggemann is reflecting, she is also challenging her own history.

She set the world record in June of 2012 in Bismarck, N.D., with a time of 33.81. Ten years later during the preliminaries for the Tokyo finals, she swam it in 33.95.

"I was 14/100ths off that world record in trials, so you better believe I'm going for it," Weggeman said. "It's mine from 2012, OK, time to show 22-year-old Mal what's up."

It's also worth noting — for someone who has already set two Paralympic records in one Games — the event record in the 50-meter butterfly S7 is 34.47. Another chance at history, global and personal, is in Weggeman's sights.

Weggemann's SM7 and S7 classification indicates the athletes have use of their arms and trunk but limited or no use of their legs.