Canadian swimmer Aurélie Rivard clinched a bronze medal on the second day of the Para Pan Pacific Championships in Walnut, California. The accomplished Paralympic athlete secured third place in the women’s 400-meter freestyle final, competing against swimmers from the S6-11 and S13 classifications. Rivard, a three-time Paralympic champion in the S10 400 freestyle, collected 933 points with a time of 4:37.04.
Australia’s Lakeisha Patterson, competing in the S9 category, seized the gold medal with 986 points, finishing in 4:40.35. The top spot initially belonged to S10 American Ali Truwit, who clocked 4:31.52 but earned 971 points. Mary Jibb from Bracebridge, Ontario, finished in eighth place with 848 points in a time of 4:47.89.
Points in the competition are based on the proximity of a swimmer’s time to the designated world record standard for their classification. Rivard, who recently made a return to international competition after a hiatus, expressed her mixed emotions following the race, stating that the 400m freestyle remains her favorite and that she believes there is more she can achieve.
In other Canadian results, Nicholas Bennett from Parksville, British Columbia, secured fourth place in the men’s 100m breaststroke final. Japanese swimmer Naohide Yamaguchi, the 2020 SB14 Paralympic champion, set a world record with a time of 1:02.38.
Reid Maxwell from St. Albert, Alberta, finished fifth in the men’s 400m freestyle. The Para Pan Pacific Swimming Championships can be watched live on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem, with Day 3 preliminaries starting at 12:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, followed by the final evening session at 8:30 p.m. ET.