Para Swimming legend Aurelie Rivard earns a bronze for Canada’s first medal in the pool

Canadian Paralympic Committee

August 29, 2024

A strong start for the Canadian para swim team, as Aurelie Rivard took home the bronze in the Women’s 50-metre Freestyle - S10 Final on Thursday. 

Canadian para swimmer Aurelie Rivard high-fiving fans outside of the pool.
Aurelie Rivard earns a bronze in the Women’s 50m Freestyle S10 Final on the first day of competition. This medal marks her 11th in five Paralympic Games, tied with Brent Lakatos for most in Canadian Paralympic Games history.

PARIS – A strong start for the Canadian para swim team, as Aurelie Rivard took home the bronze in the Women’s 50-metre freestyle – S10 Final on Thursday. 

This podium finish in her first event in Paris marks Rivard’s 11th total medal in her fifth Paralympic Games. The Quebec native had a strong start off the platform and put forth a valiant effort across the pool at Paris La Defense Arena to finish with a time of 27.62 seconds.

The 28-year-old followed up a strong performance in the qualifiers earlier in the day, finishing second in her heat with a time of 27.38 seconds, only ten seconds behind American Christie Raleigh-Crossley, who put up a time of 27.28 seconds, good enough for the Women’s 50m Freestyle – S9 world record. 

Rivard finished behind Chen Yi, who set a world record with her gold medal winning performance at a time of 27.10 seconds, and Raleigh-Crossley, who earned silver. 

The Canadian will get set to complete in the Women’s 100m Freestyle – S10 heats on Sunday, September 1st.

In other para swimming news, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native Shelby Newkirk finished in 4th place in the Women’s 50m Freestyle – S6 Final. Her time of 34.08 seconds was just over a minute behind bronze medaliist Anna Hontar of Ukraine, with China’s Yuyan Jiang and USA’s Ellie Marks earning gold and silver respectively. 

Newkirk is competing in her second Paralympic Games, earning 4th in the Women’s 50m Freestyle in Tokyo 2020. 

Finally, Canadian newcomer Fernando Lu completed his first event in his debut Paralympic Games. The 17-year-old was the youngest competitor for the red-and-white in the 2023 Para Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. He finished in 7th place in Thursday’s Men’s 50m Freestyle S10 Final, and is set to compete in the 100m Freestyle heats on Friday. 

Thomas Gallagher and Rowan Crothers of Australia earned gold and bronze in the Men’s 50m Freestyle S10 Final, while Phelipe Andrews Melo Rodrigues of Brazil took the silver.

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