[4] In Brazil coverage was provided by Globo-Sport TV while some European Broadcasting Union countries would also air the championships.

The first medal of the 2013 World Championships was won by Ireland's Darragh McDonald who took gold in the 400m freestyle S6 class.

Ihar Boki of Belarus, one of the stand-out athletes of the championships, broke the world record in the final of the SM13 200m individual medley.

Then within the hour two more records fell as Lisenkov's record in the 100m backstroke S8, set in the morning, failed to last a day as he took 0.70 seconds of his own time to secure gold; while Britain's Josef Craig added the World title of the 400m freestyle S7 to his Paralympic title with a winning time of 4:39.13.

Ukraine's Dmytro Vynohradets took the first of his seven gold medals with success in the Men's 200m freestyle S3, while his teammate Olga Sviderska took the equivalent title in the women's race but well outside her morning's record finish.

New Zealand saw further success on Day one when Mary Fisher started her rung of gold medals with a win in the 100m backstroke S11.