Parksville swimmer Nicholas Bennett was named CanadaB次元官网网址檚 2023 Male Swimmer of the Year in the Paralympic program.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 quite proud to be receiving this award, and honoured to follow in the footsteps of previous winners, including current national team teammates,B次元官网网址� said Bennett, in a Swimming Canada news release. He also had previously been named the national Breakout Swimmer of the Year award in 2021.
B次元官网网址淚 think it comes down to all the hard work weB次元官网网址檝e been putting into it. All the great coaching and support IB次元官网网址檝e received over the past five years has helped me excel every time I get on the world stage.B次元官网网址�
In just four years of international competition, Bennett has built a resume most swimmers can only dream of putting together over the course of an entire career. He broke onto the world stage at the 2019 Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru, where, at only 15, he captured four medals, three of them gold.
Two years later, as the youngest member of the entire Canadian delegation at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, he set national records in all four events in which he competed, reaching three finals. Then came his Para Swimming World Championships debut at Madeira 2022, where Bennett shone once again with a pair of silver medals.
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Going into his second world championship appearance last summer in Manchester, England, it looked inevitable that Bennett would continue his meteoric rise to stardom. And he did.
The S14 athlete claimed his first career world titles, in the 200-m freestyle and the 200 individual medley, and nearly added a third one in the 100 breaststroke, where he placed second. He lowered his own national standards in both the 200 IM and 100 breast, while also shattering the Americas mark in the latter.
BennettB次元官网网址檚 two triumphs marked the first time in over two decades, dating back to Mar del Plata 2002, that a Canadian male swimmer won two or more gold medals at the same edition of the para worlds. For his historic performance in Manchester, Bennett is named Swimming CanadaB次元官网网址檚 2023 Male Swimmer of the Year B次元官网网址� Paralympic Program.
Haley Bennett, NicholasB次元官网网址檚 sister, coached him at the Ravensong Aquatic Club in Qualicum Beach and the pair has now moved to the Red Deer Catalina Swim Club in Alberta. She got to witness his accomplishments first-hand at the last two world championships as a member of the Canadian coaching staff.
B次元官网网址淭he main factor in NickB次元官网网址檚 success over the last few years is his work ethic,B次元官网网址� she said in a news release. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 no one that works harder than he does or gives it their all in the same way he does. HeB次元官网网址檚 worked towards this everyday for years and years.B次元官网网址�
When it comes to his exploits in Manchester, the newly crowned world champion said he built on the experience gained the previous year in Portugal.
B次元官网网址淲ith my disability, I find that when I practise things, when I get on the world stage over and over again, it becomes easier for me,B次元官网网址� explained Bennett, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when he was three. B次元官网网址淚t makes all the difference in the world. It makes it easier for me to perform at that level.B次元官网网址�
The 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Swimming Trials, presented by Bell, are set for May 13-19 in Montreal.
