Two-time Paralympic gold medalist Danielle Dorris secured Canada’s initial medal at the commencement of the three-day Pan Pacific Swimming Championships by clinching the silver in the women’s 50-meter butterfly S5-7 final in Walnut, California, on Friday evening. Hailing from Moncton, New Brunswick, Dorris led from start to finish, touching the wall first in 34.42 seconds, just shy of her S7 world record of 32.99.
Although Dorris touched the wall first, Katie Kubiak of the United States claimed the gold medal with 1,060 points compared to Dorris’s 941. In the morning preliminaries on Friday, Kubiak set a new S5 world record with a time of 37.21, nearly a second faster than her previous record. Dorris’s teammate, Mallory Weggemann, secured the bronze medal with 926 points in the final.
The Para Pan Pacific Swimming Championships utilize a point system to determine winners, considering various impairments among athletes. Dorris expressed her delight at winning Canada’s first medal and mentioned that it was her first time achieving this feat. She also shared her satisfaction with her performance despite not achieving her desired time.
Dorris, who will turn 24 on September 22, was born with bilateral radial dysplasia, resulting in underdeveloped arms. Additionally, she successfully defended her Paralympic title in the 50 butterfly two years ago at her third Games. Later that evening, Dorris contributed to a Canadian record-setting performance in the mixed 4×100 medley 34-point relay alongside Fernando Lu, Katie Cosgriffe, and Reid Maxwell, earning a bronze with a time of 4 minutes 40.11 seconds.
Moreover, Toronto’s Sebastian Massabie secured a bronze medal in the men’s 50 fly S5-7 final, recording 837 points. Massabie, the S4 Olympic champion in 2024, set the slowest time in the field on Friday at 36.07 seconds. He holds multiple Canadian records and one world record from the 2024 Paralympic swimming trials. Massabie, a resident of Surrey, British Columbia, has cerebral palsy affecting his left side.
Nicholas Bennett earned a silver medal with 981 points in the men’s 200 freestyle S2-5, finishing behind Gabriel Bandeira. Bennett, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age three, claimed multiple medals at the 2024 Paralympics and added a silver in the S14 200 free.
Ken Stroud of Richmond, British Columbia, secured the second spot behind Akito Minai in the men’s 100 free S4-6, S8, S10, S12. Stroud, along with 19 other teammates, was selected to represent Canada based on their performances at the Canadian trials in July.
The Para Pan Pacific Championships, the first since 2018, serve as a crucial step toward the 2028 Paralympics in Los Angeles. Canadian team captain Nicolas-Guy Turbide highlighted the significance of the event in preparing athletes for similar conditions.