After enchanting us at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo last September, Danielle Doris did it again at the World Championships held at the Penteada Olympic Swimming Complex in Madeira, Portugal. The young swimmer from Moncton won the gold in the S7 50m butterfly to win the title of world champion in the discipline.
Doris, 19, triumphed in 34sec 01 to improve the world championship record that had belonged since 2019 to American Mallory Wageman (34sec 76). However, it was not enough to win his world record of 32 seconds 99 which was set at the Tokyo Games.
Italian Giulia Terzi (34s83) and Canadian Tess Rotliff (35s4) accompanied Doris on the podium.
On Wednesday, Doris won her first medal, the silver, in the 100m S7 backstroke. Remember, she got the same score at the Tokyo Paralympics.
It was American Julia Gaffney, the world record holder (min 19, 47) who won the gold medal in 1:21,033). She beat Doris (1 minute 23 minutes) and American Mackenzie Cowan (1 minute 24 seconds 42 minutes).
“It was amazing,” Doris said after her silver on Wednesday. I enjoyed very much. I couldn’t quite see where Julia was the entire race, until 15 yards from the finish when she caught up with me. Which is absolutely true. I’m glad I got the money back. That’s all I can really ask for.”
Note that Doris moved to Montreal last fall to train under Mike Thompson at the Quebec High Performance Center.
Earlier this week, Doris also placed fifth in the S7 200m medley.
“She was a Paralympic champion, now a world champion, her father Jean-Pierre Doris shouted on the phone. We are so proud of her.”
The young woman will now allow herself a few weeks of rest before competition resumes this fall.
