Alisson Gobeil is breaking records and beating the odds

ALMA, Que. – Perseverance would be an appropriate middle name for Para swimmer Alisson Gobeil.

 The Alma, Que. resident is among five Para swimmers who will make their world championships debut this September. Swimming Canada announced its 19-member squad earlier this month.

“It’ll be the experience of a lifetime,’’ Gobeil, 20, told TVA during a media meet and greet at the Centre Mario-Tremblay where she trains with Le Club Juvaqua under coach Antoine Cassant.

Gobeil currently holds national marks in the S5 50m and 100m freestyles with the 50 record set this past May. She just fell short of making the 2024 Paralympic Games roster last year.

Undeterred, she has rocketed out of the starting blocks in the opening weeks of the 2028 quadrennial.

Gobeil was diagnosed at age five with recessive spastic ataxia, a neuromuscular disease that affects the spinal cord and the nerves responsible for movements, balance, and coordination of the body.

“I’m beating the odds,” Gobeil told TVA. “I’m still performing.’’

Her coach says she is a role model for other athletes.

‘’When they see her go all out in training, they get motivated by that,” said Cassant. ‘’She’s been through a lot in the last few years that have brought her to where she is now.”

Back in 2017 at age 12, she made the long trek with her parents from the Saguenay region to Montreal for the annual Défi Sportif Altergo which featured a two-day swimming event that year.

“It was the first time we saw that [adaptive sport] competitions existed,’’ her mother Nancy Boily told the Défi Sportif Altergo website. ‘’It was a real turning point for Alisson. It was emotional, because it was the first time we saw people with disabilities taking part in sports.”

‘’It was the first time Alisson competed against others, all on equal footing,”

The Défi Sportif Altergo is Canada’s largest multi-sport event for people with a disability and attracts about 6,000 participants. In 2024, she was an ambassador at the 41st Défi Sportif AlterGo, where she met young Para swimmers and took part in the 100m freestyle race.

Balancing her career in sport and school has provided confidence to Gobeil to withstand all challenges in her life.

“We don’t worry too much, because Alisson has always had all sorts of adventures, ever since she was very young,’’ said her mother. ‘’She’s very adaptable, and she always finds the humour in any given situation.

‘’We’re very proud of her, but more than that, we’re happy that she gets to enjoy experiences she wouldn’t have access to in our region.”

The Para swimming world championships are September 15-21 in Singapore. Gobeil says her goals are to reach a couple of finals and soak in the experience.

But Alisson Gobeil is an athlete on a mission. No one should be surprised if she surpasses expectations later this summer.