Swimming: Fisher's personal target reaps medals in Canada

Mary Fisher. Photo / Getty Images

Mary Fisher focuses on producing personal best performances each time she races; right now a bag of world championship titles are a splendid spinoff.

The Wellington swimmer, who has a genetic eye condition, won her third gold medal at the IPC world championships in Montreal yesterday.

She followed earlier victories in the 100m backstroke and 50m freestyle with a convincing win in the 100m freestyle yesterday, to set alongside a silver medal in the 400m freestyle.

Fisher, 20, got a dose of revenge on German Daniela Schulte, who beat her to the touch in that 400m final, winning yesterday in 1m 09.61s.

Schulte won silver in 1:11.81 with China's Guizhi Li third in 1:11.83.

Fisher had earlier beaten her strongest rival, Schulte, to win that backstroke crown.

Throw in two gold medals by Christchurch's Sophie Pascoe and the pair are giving New Zealand a real presence at the event.

"I don't really try to think about medals beforehand," Fisher said yesterday.

"It's good just to come in and race. Doing personal bests; that is what I'm looking for every time you swim."

So far she's achieved them in the two shorter freestyle races while managing faster times than in her heats at the London Paralympics last year in the other two, which were straight finals in Montreal.

Fisher has two events left, the 100m butterfly and the discipline in which she won her Paralympic gold medal last year, the 200m individual medley. Without getting ahead of herself, both, she reckons, are winnable.

Swimming in the outdoor pool in Montreal has been a new experience, but has provided few hurdles for Fisher. She's adopting the "a pool is a pool" philosophy, has enjoyed getting some extra Vitamin D and is delighted with her form.

Pascoe had a day off yesterday, but is back in action in the 100m butterfly today .

There were two fourths by other New Zealand swimmers yesterday. Cambridge's Nikita Howarth, who has no hands and one artificial limb, was just .81s off bronze in her 100m backstroke final, clocking 1:30.24, pipped for third by Canadian Sarah Mehain.

Visually impaired pair Daniel Sharp of Hamilton and Daniel Holt of North Shore were fourth (25.52s) and fifth (26.10s) respectively in their 50m freestyle final.