Canada’s first medal at the three-day Pan Pacific Swimming Championships was secured by two-time Paralympic champion Danielle Dorris, who won silver in the women’s 50-metre butterfly S5-7 final in Walnut, California. Dorris, a Moncton, N.B. native, led from start to finish, clocking 34.42 seconds, just shy of her S7 world record of 32.99.
Although Dorris touched the wall first, the gold medal was awarded to Katie Kubiak of the United States, who set a new world record in the morning preliminaries with a time of 37.21. Dorris’s performance earned her 941 points, securing the silver medal, while her teammate Mallory Weggemann claimed bronze with 926 points.
The Para Pan Pacific Championships use a points system to determine winners across different impairment categories, focusing on how close swimmers are to the designated world record time for their specific class. Dorris, who was born with bilateral radial dysplasia, expressed her joy at winning Canada’s first medal at the event and highlighted her satisfaction with her performance.
In another race, Dorris contributed to a Canadian record in the mixed 4×100 medley 34-point relay, earning bronze alongside Fernando Lu, Katie Cosgriffe, and Reid Maxwell with a time of 4:40.11. Tess Routliffe, from Caledon, Ont., finished sixth in the women’s 50 butterfly, while Toronto’s Sebastian Massabie clinched bronze in the men’s 50 fly S5-7 final.
Nicholas Bennett secured silver in the men’s 200 freestyle S2-5, and Ken Stroud of Richmond, B.C., took the silver in the men’s 100 free S4-6, S8, S10, S12. The Para Pan Pacific Championships serve as a significant milestone towards the 2028 Paralympics, providing valuable experience for the athletes under similar competitive conditions.
