Expertise, resilience, consistency: Canada’s Para swimmers prepared for worlds

SINGAPORE – Canada’s 19-member Para swimming staff for the upcoming world championships is skilled, resilient and constant.

The 2025 Toyota World Para Swimming Championships set for September 20-27 in Singapore is the massive alternative this season to chase private bests and even medals. All the coaching they’ve put each within the pool and on dry land has been designed for them to be in peak situation at these worlds.

The final world championships had been held in 2023 in Manchester, England and so they had been memorable ones. The 9 gold medals had been essentially the most for Canada since 10 on the 2006 worlds in Durban, South Africa and the 19 medals general had been the very best whole since 21 in Eindhoven, Netherlands in 2010.

A yr later on the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, the Canadian staff marched to the rostrum 13 occasions together with 5 gold, its greatest efficiency since a 16-medal consumption at London 2012.

Most of the massive stars are again in motion from these 2023 worlds and 2024 Paralympic Games. They embody:

• Double Paralympic Games and world champion Nicholas Bennett of Parksville, B.C., who gained gold within the S14 100m breaststroke and 200m IM in Paris and the 200 IM and 200 freestyle in Manchester.

• Triple world champion Tess Routliffe of Caledon, Ont., a double medallist in Paris with silver within the SM7 200m particular person medley and bronze within the SB7 100m breaststroke.

• Danielle Dorris of Moncton, N.B., the two-time defending world and Paralympic Games champion in addition to world document holder within the S7 50 butterfly.

• Sebastian Massabie of Surrey, B.C., the Paralympic Games champion within the S4 50 free.

In reality 14 of the 19 swimmers on the worlds staff had been in Paris one yr in the past.

The most notable absentee is 13-time Paralympic medallist Aurélie Rivard, who has taken the season off to concentrate on her legislation research at Université Laval.

But these worlds transcend the medal rely for Canada.

Nicolas-Guy Turbide of Quebec City makes his return to the S13 100 backstroke, his greatest occasion as much as 2022.

He gained the world title that yr, however the victory revealed an endurance situation. He was restricted to 50 metre races for the subsequent two seasons together with the 2024 Paralympic Games.

Specialists looked for solutions till lastly a prognosis emerged: mercury poisoning brought on by his physique’s lack of ability to metabolize fish usually.

“I feel like a 14-year-old kid again, heading to worlds with all that excitement and a second chance,” he instructed CBC Sports. “Honestly, I was just relieved to finally have an answer.”

Arianna Hunsicker of Surrey, B.C., a first-time Paralympian in 2024 was gassed on the finish of final yr.

She took a break after the Games, resumed her research and attacked 2025 with a recent outlook.

“I was showing up every day because I wanted to, not because I felt like maybe I had to,” Hunsicker mentioned in a Swimming Canada feature about this season. “Now, I feel like I’m happier in the pool, more confident.”

She has her eyes on private bests and maybe, a primary worlds podium.

In whole, over 600 athletes from greater than 60 nations will battle within the first-ever version of the occasion hosted in Asia.

Morning heats will start at 9 p.m. ET, with finals at 5:30 a.m. ET the subsequent morning. Fans can watch all periods on cbcsports.ca or on CBC Gem. Radio-Canada Sports is broadcasting the swimming occasions on its Tou.tv platform.

Full Team Canada roster