Timonium's Meyers Claims Gold at Paralympics World Swimming Championships

Timonium swimmer Rebecca Meyers made her presence known on the first day of the International Paralympic Committee's World Swimming Championships in Montreal.

When the dust settled on the first day of the seven-day meet that began Aug. 12, Meyers had claimed the U.S. team's —and the meet's— first gold medal with a victory in the 200-meter individual medley (SM 13 disability category).

Meyers is visually impaired, according to U.S. Paralympics spokeswoman Beth Bourgeois.

Meyers, who was the event's silver medalist at the London Paralympic Games last summer, claimed gold in a showdown to the wall with Canadian world record holder Valerie Grand-Maison, according to a statement from U.S. Paralympics.

She finished the race in two minutes, 30.04 seconds—eight-tenths of a second ahead of Grand-Maison.

"I've raced Valerie many times and she's so strong, I didn't expect to win," Meyers said in the statement. "But at the turn, I saw I was ahead and just pushed it, I really went for it, and I knew I could do it. I was really happy with my race."

The meet continues through Sunday.