Canada’s swimmer Aurélie Rivard clinched a bronze medal during the Para Pan Pacific Championships in Walnut, California. Rivard, a 13-time Paralympic medalist, secured the third position in the women’s 400-meter freestyle final, competing against athletes from the S6-11 and S13 classifications. Notably, she is a three-time Paralympic champion in the S10 400 free category.
Hailing from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, the 30-year-old accumulated 933 points by finishing second with a time of 4 minutes 37.04 seconds. Australia’s Lakeisha Patterson, in the S9 category, claimed the gold with 986 points, clocking in at 4:40.35. This victory pushed her ahead of the S10 American Ali Truwit, who finished first in 4:31.52 but earned 971 points. Mary Jibb from Bracebridge, Ontario, secured the eighth spot with 848 points, completing the race in 4:47.89.
Points were awarded based on the proximity of the swimmers’ times to the specified world record standard for their respective classes. The closer the time to the record, the higher the points achieved.
Having recently returned to international competition after a year off, Rivard expressed her emotions after the race. She mentioned that despite the challenges, the 400m freestyle remains her favorite race where she believes she can still improve and prove her abilities further.
In other Canadian achievements, Nicholas Bennett from Parksville, British Columbia, finished fourth in the men’s 100m breaststroke SB4-6, 8-9, 11, 13-14 final. The event witnessed Japan’s Naohide Yamaguchi, the 2020 SB14 Paralympic champion, setting a world record with a time of 1:02.38. Reid Maxwell from St. Albert, Alberta, secured the fifth position in the men’s 400m freestyle S6-9, S11, S13 category.
The Para Pan Pacific Swimming Championships can be watched live on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem. The Day 3 preliminaries commence on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET, followed by the final sessions at 8:30 p.m. ET.