MONTREAL – Aurelie Rivard of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., has been named the Team Aquatic Supplies Female Para-swimmer of the Year.
The annual award, which recognizes the best performance by a Canadian female Para-swimmer, was announced Friday morning. It’s the final accolade of Swimming Canada’s Big Splash Awards Week, a weeklong celebration of the best in Canadian swimming.
At the Pan Pacific Para-swimming Championships in Pasadena, California, Rivard won gold medals in the 50-m, 100-m and 400-m freestyle S10, setting a Canadian record in the 100. She was also the silver medallist in the 100-m backstroke and the 200-m individual medley and helped Canada to bronze in the 4×100-m freestyle and 4×100 medley relays.
That performance came on the heels of her bronze medal in the 200-m IM at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. Rivard was also one of only three Para-swimmers to represent Canada at the Games, where she also finished fourth in the 100-m breaststroke.
“There were two highlights for me this year. One was setting the Canadian record in California, but the other was winning the Bronze medal in the 200IM at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow,” Rivard said. “Winning this award is the payback of all the efforts I put in and out of the pool all year. I feel grateful and honoured. It proves that all the sacrifices and hard work I did paid off.”
Rivard’s next major meet begins next Friday in Edmonton as the top Para-swimmers from Canada, the U.S. and other countries gather for the Can-Am Championships. The Kinsmen Sport Centre will play host to the three-day event.
Rivard’s coach at the Club de natation du Haut-Richelieu, France Latendresse, will also be recognized with a Big Splash Award as Team Aquatic Supplies Coach of the Year (Female Para-swimmer).
Other Big Splash Awards handed out this week included the OMEGA Male and Female Swimmers of the Year (Ryan Cochrane and Brittany MacLean), and the Team Aquatic Supplies Male Para-swimmer of the Year (Nathan Stein).
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