Experience, resilience, consistency: Canada’s Para swimmers ready for worlds

SINGAPORE – Canada’s 19-member Para swimming team for the upcoming world championships is experienced, resilient and consistent.

The 2025 Toyota World Para Swimming Championships set for September 20-27 in Singapore is the big opportunity this season to chase personal bests and even medals. All the training they’ve put both in the pool and on dry land has been designed for them to be in peak condition at these worlds.

The last world championships were held in 2023 in Manchester, England and they were memorable ones. The nine gold medals were the most for Canada since 10 at the 2006 worlds in Durban, South Africa and the 19 medals overall were the highest total since 21 in Eindhoven, Netherlands in 2010.

A year later at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, the Canadian team marched to the podium 13 times including five gold, its best performance since a 16-medal intake at London 2012.

Most of the big stars are back in action from those 2023 worlds and 2024 Paralympic Games. They include:

• Double Paralympic Games and world champion Nicholas Bennett of Parksville, B.C., who won gold in 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 in the SM7 200m individual medley and bronze in the SB7 100m breaststroke.

• Danielle Dorris of Moncton, N.B., the two-time defending world and Paralympic Games champion as well as world record holder in the S7 50 butterfly.

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

In fact 14 of the 19 swimmers on the worlds team were in Paris one year ago.

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

But these worlds go beyond the medal count for Canada.

Nicolas-Guy Turbide of Quebec City makes his return to the S13 100 backstroke, his best event up to 2022.

He won the world title that year, but the victory revealed an endurance issue. He was limited to 50 metre races for the next two seasons including the 2024 Paralympic Games.

Specialists searched for answers until finally a diagnosis emerged: mercury poisoning caused by his body’s inability to metabolize fish normally.

“I feel like a 14-year-old kid again, heading to worlds with all that excitement and a second chance,” he told 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 at the end of last year.

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

“I was showing up every day because I wanted to, not because I felt like maybe I had to,” Hunsicker said 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 personal bests and perhaps, a first worlds podium.

In total, over 600 athletes from more than 60 nations will battle in the first-ever edition of the event hosted in Asia.

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

Full Team Canada roster