Aurélie Rivard of Canada secured a bronze medal during Day 2 of the Para Pan Pacific Championships in Walnut, California. The accomplished Paralympic athlete, with 13 medals to her name, finished third in the women’s 400-meter freestyle final, competing against swimmers from the S6-11 and S13 categories. Rivard, a three-time Paralympic champion in the S10 400 free event, accumulated 933 points by clocking a time of 4:37.04.
Lakeisha Patterson from Australia claimed the gold medal with 986 points, completing the race in 4:40.35. Despite American Ali Truwit touching the wall first in 4:31.52, she only earned 971 points, settling for second place. Mary Jibb from Bracebridge, Ontario, finished eighth with 848 points after completing the race in 4:47.89.
The points awarded in the competition are based on how close a swimmer’s time is to the designated world record standard for their particular classification. Rivard, who recently returned to international competition after a hiatus, expressed her delight at the race, stating it is one where she excels and believes she can achieve even more.
In other Canadian performances, Nicholas Bennett from Parksville, British Columbia, secured fourth place in the men’s 100m breaststroke SB4-6, 8-9, 11, 13-14 final. The event witnessed Naohide Yamaguchi of Japan, the 2020 SB14 Paralympic champion, setting a world record with a time of 1:02.38.
Reid Maxwell from St. Albert, Alberta, finished fifth in the men’s 400m freestyle S6-9, S11, S13 race. The Para Pan Pacific Swimming Championships can be viewed live on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem, with the Day 3 preliminaries beginning Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET, followed by the final session at 8:30 p.m. ET.
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