Aurélie Rivard took her third medal this week by winning the bronze in the 100m backstroke (S10) on Saturday in her last event at the World Para Swimming Championships in Madeira, Portugal.
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After her defeat in the 100m freestyle final the day before, Rivard this time trailed Hungarian race winner Bianca Pape, by 1.40 seconds. France’s Annaelle Roulette (+0.99 seconds) won the silver.
“The race went just as I expected. I did my best in the pool, although the 100m back isn’t my favorite event. I’m happy to finish the week with another podium. I’ve been better at the 50m return as is often the case,” Riverd stated in an interview With the Canadian Paralympic Committee.
In the same final, Ariana Hunseker took eighth place (+7.32 seconds).
Swimming in the final of the 100m backstroke (S10) on the men’s side, Alexander Elliott imitated his compatriot by ascending to the third tier of the podium. Elliott stopped the clock at 1:2.44 to take his second bronze medal in Madeira after the 400m freestyle (S10).
“I’m totally exhausted! I’ve been away from the 100m backstroke in the past few years, but I’m glad I got there today and had some success. I’m proud of my accomplishments over the past week.”
At the end of this world championships, Aurélie Rivard and Alexander Elliot joined forces with Félix Cowan and Shelby Newkirk in the 4x100m freestyle mixed relay (34 points). Canada took fifth place, a result that made all four participants happy.
“It was amazing, I wasn’t expecting to be so successful here in Madeira. It’s great to end the week like this,” Kwan, who was competing in his first world championships, commented.
“We changed our strategy before this final and it almost paid off because we finished in just over a second from a podium place,” Elliott added.
In the 100m freestyle (S7) Sabrina Duchesne finished sixth (+5.64sec), a satisfactory race for the athlete from Saint-Augustin-de-Desmores who was not satisfied with her performance during qualifying.
“It went a lot better than this morning, which is exactly what I wanted. I trained more specifically for the 400m, so being the sixth best in the world in the 100m is very exciting,” Duchesne commented.
American Mackenzie Cowan, who won the gold medal, was ahead of her compatriot Julia Gaffney (+3.19 seconds).
For her part, Justin Maurier finished eighth in her 100m butterfly (S14) qualifying. However, the athlete from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu did not qualify for the final.
The Canadian delegation will leave Portugal with 18 medals, including six golds.
