Canadian swimmers Reid Maxwell, Danielle Dorris, and Mary Jibb excelled at the world Para swimming championships, securing medals on Friday. Maxwell claimed a silver medal in the men’s S8 200-metre individual medley with a new Canadian record time of 2:26.72. The gold went to Australia’s Callum Simpson in 2:25.49, while Greece’s Dimosthenis Michalentzakis took the bronze in 2:27.24.
Maxwell, an 18-year-old from St. Albert, Alta., impressed in his world championship debut after his silver win in the men’s 400 freestyle at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. Surprisingly, he clinched the podium spot in the 200 IM, becoming the first Canadian man to achieve this feat in an S8 event.
Following Maxwell’s success, Dorris secured a bronze in the women’s S7 50 freestyle, and Jibb captured bronze in the women’s S9 100 backstroke. Dorris, 23, from Moncton, N.B., notched her ninth world championship medal with a season-best time of 33.67 seconds. Jibb, 18, from Muskoka, Ont., posted her fifth personal best of the week, finishing behind Brazil’s Mariana Ribeiro and Spain’s Nuria Marques Soto.
Jibb’s stellar performance earned her a place in Canadian swimming history as the youngest swimmer to secure at least three medals in a single world championship since Aurelie Rivard in 2013. Canada’s strong showing, with a total of 11 medals (two gold, two silver, seven bronze), sets the stage for an exciting final day of competition at the para swimming worlds.