Paralympian Jonathan Dieleman finds freedom in swimming pool

There's a sense of euphoria Jonathan Dieleman feels when he slides out of his chair and into the cool water of the swimming pool.

"Swimming for me was a way to get out of my wheelchair," said the 31-year-old member of Canada's Paralympic team. "When I broke my back six years ago, one of the things I first thought about, just being able to feel free, was getting into the water."

Dieleman is part of a diverse Canadian swim team at the Rio Paralympics, that ranges in age from 13-year-old Danielle Dorris to 40-year-old Tammy Cunnington — both of whom are making their Paralympic debut.

Dieleman was a bit of a daredevil growing up on his family's farm in Telkwa, a tiny town just outside Smithers in northern British Columbia.

The oldest of six boys, he competed in rodeo, riding bareback and bulls, before breaking his back in a dirt biking accident in 2010.

"I was wheeling across one hayfield in fifth gear, hit a rock, and went cartwheeling," he said. "The bike landed on me. Thirty seconds after I came to in the field I knew my back was broken."

A swimmer growing up, he returned to the pool six months after the accident.

High hopes

"I didn't know how to react the first time I went in the water after I broke my back, so I was wearing a life-jacket," Dieleman said. "I put the life-jacket on and I was wearing it for 10 minutes, then I took it off. Ever since then, it's been just more and more getting the feel for the water.

Dieleman won silver in the 50-metre breaststroke at last summer's Parapan American Games, and is aiming high here as well.

"My goal I set about a year ago was to be on the top of the podium in this event here in Rio, so I do have high expectations of myself," said Dieleman, sporting a red mohawk he had shaved into his head during a stopover in Toronto en route to Rio.

'Don't need to be afraid'

Dorris, meanwhile, is making her Paralympic debut in just her third season of swimming. The young athlete said swimming has given her an immediate sense of belonging.

"You don't need to be afraid of who you are and what you look like here," she said. "We are all pretty much the same. We all have a disability."

Dorris, who was born with only a portion of her arms, finished fifth in her heat of the 100-metre butterfly on Friday and didn't advance.

Cunnington makes her Paralympic debut after winning three medals at last summer's Parapan Ams.

The Red Deer, Alta was just six when she was struck by an airplane propeller at an air show in Ponoka, Alta. The accident left her a paraplegic, but with the use of one arm plus her shoulders and core.

Stiff competition

Canada once dominated the Paralympic pool, winning 48 swim medals at the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney. That number dropped to 16 by the London Games four years ago.

"We were ahead of the curve on everybody," said coach Craig McCord. "The rest of the world has really taken on Paralympic sport with a fervour and a passion, they're investing money, and it's one of the challenges we face."

The Vancouver-based coach will step down after Rio, and called his 12-year career at the helm of Canada's Paralympic team "an absolute journey."

"I tell everybody I've had the best job in the world for the last 12 years, McCord said. "I've been around the world, I have friends all over the world, and I've met the most amazing athletes/people that you could imagine."