Rising Para swim star Nicholas Bennett earns 2nd gold in the Paris pool on day 7

PARIS – Rising Canadian Para swimming star, Nicholas Bennett, set a Paralympic record to take gold in the men’s 200m individual medley SM14, highlighting a strong day for Canada in the Paris pool.

The new Paralympic record he set was eight-tenths of a second off the world record time of 2:05.97 that he set earlier this year at Canada’s 2024 Paralympic Para Swimming Trials in May. 

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In his gold medal race, Bennett blew the competition out of the water, reaching the wall 2.5 seconds before second-place finisher Rhys Darbey of Great Britain.

The 200m golden swim marks Bennett’s second at the top of the podium this games, following his gold medal in the men’s 100m breaststroke SB14 on day five. He’s also collected a silver this Games for his men’s 200m freestyle S14 race.

Bennett is the first Canadian male swimmer to win two or more golds at a single Paralympic Games since 2004 when Benoit Huot did it.

Day seven was a multiple medal day for Canada in the pool as Reid Maxwell added a silver medal in the men’s 400m freestyle S8, setting a new Americas record to earn his first career Paralympic medal.

He finished the race with a time of 4:23.90, setting a new Canadian record in his first medal opportunity at this games. 

Maxwell still has two events left in Paris with the men’s 100m butterfly S8 and the men’s 100m freestyle S8 events still remaining. 

Tess Routliffe also raced on Wednesday, placing eighth in the women’s 100m freestyle S7 with a time of 1:13.90. 

Abi Tripp placed 11th in her preliminary heat of the women’s 400m freestyle S8, but didn’t qualify for the final. 

Shelby Newkirk raced her third event of Paris 2024, placing 11th in the preliminary women’s 100m freestyle race S6. 

Sabrina Duschesne recorded a time of 1:15.45 in the morning heats of the women’s 100m freestyle S7 but did not qualify for the finals.

Mary Jibb, at just 17-years-old, raced her third race in Paris on Wednesday morning, placing 10th in the women’s S9 100m freestyle with a time of 1:06.01. She missed out on the final by 0.53 seconds. 

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