Canada’s Danielle Dorris secured the first medal for her country at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships by clinching silver in the women’s 50-meter butterfly S5-7 final in Walnut, California. Despite leading throughout the race, Dorris finished in 34.42 seconds, just shy of her own world record of 32.99 seconds in the S7 category.
Katie Kubiak from the United States claimed the gold medal with 1,060 points, surpassing Dorris’ 941 points. Kubiak set a new world record of 37.21 seconds in the S5 category during the morning preliminaries. Dorris’ teammate, Mallory Weggemann, secured the bronze with 926 points.
The outcome of each race at Para Pan Pacs is determined by a points system, taking into account the swimmers’ times in comparison to the world record standard for their respective classifications. Dorris, who will celebrate her 24th birthday on September 22, was born with bilateral radial dysplasia.
Later in the day, Dorris contributed to a Canadian record-breaking performance in the mixed 4×100 medley 34-point relay, earning a bronze alongside Fernando Lu, Katie Cosgriffe, and Reid Maxwell with a time of 4:40.11. This achievement surpassed the previous national record set in 2023.
Additionally, Toronto’s Sebastian Massabie clinched a bronze in the men’s 50 fly S5-7 final, recording 837 points. Massabie, the S4 Olympic champion in 2024, holds multiple Canadian records and one world record. He has cerebral palsy, affecting his left side.
Nicholas Bennett earned silver in the men’s 200 freestyle S2-5 event with 981 points, finishing behind Gabriel Bandeira. Bennett, who has autism spectrum disorder, won two gold medals at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.
Ken Stroud from Richmond, B.C., secured second place in the men’s 100 free S4-6, S8, S10, S12 category, with Akito Minai from Japan taking the top spot. Stroud and 19 other Canadian athletes were selected to compete based on their performance at the Canadian trials in July.
This Para Pan Pacs event marks a crucial step towards the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles, providing valuable experience for the athletes to compete in similar conditions. Nicolas-Guy Turbide, a Canadian team captain, emphasized the significance of this competition for their future endeavors in the sport.