He had been advised not to take part in the 100m freestyle after the worrying abandonment on Tuesday. Aurélie Rivard (S10) was keen to participate and defend her world title, which she did by winning her second gold medal from the World Championships in Madeira, Portugal.
Posted yesterday at 5:26 p.m.
Crowned world champion in the 50m freestyle S10 last Saturday, the para-swimmer was unable to complete the 400m freestyle final three days later. The athlete from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu was in the lead until the halfway point and suddenly stopped. She finally turned around and got out of the pool, immediately surrounded by rescuers who provided her with a blanket and an oxygen mask.
“I wasn’t sure I was ready. I was advised not to do it, but I found it important to break this pattern a little, ”said Aurélie Rivard in the mixed zone, speaking of a day high in emotions.
The Quebecer was the fastest in qualifying in the morning with a time of 1:0.26. She started in the fourth lane of the final, where she had a very good start. At the halfway mark, she was ahead of the Dutch Lisa Kruger by only 14 hundredths of a second.
Rivard then managed to outrun her rivals to set a World Championship record with a time of 59.43 seconds, breathless, sporting a slight smile, but without exploding with joy.
“Honestly, a lot of things were going through my mind before the start of the race. The primary objective was simply to finish it, said the gold medalist. […] It’s been tough the last three days. I tried to take as much pressure off myself as possible about results and focus on what I had to do. I think it worked well, so I’m happy! »
Hungarian Bianka Pap finished second (+1.76 seconds), while Kruger completed the podium, 6 hundredths of a second behind Pap.
This is the 14e medal for the Canadian team since the start of these World Championships, equaling the harvest of 2019.
It remains to be seen if Aurélie Rivard will swim the S10 100m backstroke on Saturday. The mixed 4×100 freestyle relay will also be presented at the conclusion of these worlds.
A few minutes later, Alec Elliot finished sixth in the men’s 100m freestyle (S10). He completed the distance in 55.77 s.
For her part, Myriam Soliman placed seventh in the 50m freestyle S7 with a time of 38.83 s.
” It went well. It was my second final in two days, so I was a little more tired,” shared the Montrealer who is in her world debut.
Clémence Paré was stopped in qualifying for the 200m freestyle S5.
Quebecers Philippe Vachon and Félix Cowan, both in action in the final of the SM8 200m medley, were first disqualified at the end of the race. However, the decision was revised with respect to Cowan, who was able to regain his original sixth place with a personal best of 2:41.20.
Finally, Justine Morrier was part of the very first Canadian team in the mixed 4x100m medley relay S14 49 points at worlds, along with Nicholas Bennett, Angela Marina and Tyson Macdonald. The quartet is in fifth place with a time of 4:29.96.
A final top-5 for Camille Bérubé
Camille Bérubé swam her last lengths at the World Championships on Friday, in the final of the 100m breaststroke SB6. The Gatineau resident has already announced that she will be retiring at the end of the season. Third in her heat during qualifying, she finished fifth in the final with a time of 1:44.10.
Her compatriot Danielle Kisser, also from this final, finished seventh.
“There’s no better way to end my Worlds adventure than with a teammate. I’m going to miss racing with Danielle, but we might meet again at other competitions this summer. I am satisfied with my time, which is similar to that of the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Overall, it was a good race and I gave it my all,” Bérubé told the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
Briton Maisie Summers-Newton dominated this final with a time of 1:32.19, good for the gold medal.
A few days ago, Camille Bérubé won the first medal of his career at the worlds, that of bronze in the 200 m medley.
“It’s been quite an adventure, but the season isn’t over yet. In the end, I am proud of what I have accomplished with the Canadian team throughout my journey,” she concluded.