Aurélie Rivard wins 3rd medal of Para swimming worlds with backstroke bronze
Ben Steiner | CBC Sports | Posted: June 18, 2022 4:46 PM | Last Updated: June 20, 2022
Canada finishes 11th in medal standings with 18 after final day of competition
Aurélie Rivard can't stop winning medals.
The Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., native swam to a bronze medal in the women's S10, 100-metre backstroke at the Para swimming world championships on Saturday in Madeira, Portugal.
The podium finish is her third at the event and first bronze, to go along with a pair of gold medals in the 50m and 100m freestyle finals.
"Just as I expected, I wanted to leave everything in the pool. Backstroke isn't really my thing but I went in to fight for a medal as much as possible," Rivard said post-race. "It's basically the same scenario as this morning, and I'm happy to finish on the podium again."
WATCH | Rivard swims to gold at Para world championships:
Rivard touched the wall in one minute, 10.24 seconds, behind silver medallist Anaëlle Roulet of France, who finished in 1:09.83, and world champion Bianca Pap of Hungary, who stopped the clock at 1:08.84.
The week has not been all smooth swimming for Rivard, however, after she was forced to pull out of the 400m freestyle just 48 hours before swimming to a gold medal in the women's 100m freestyle.
The 26-year-old will headline Canada's swim team at the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, from July 28-Aug. 8.
Katarina Roxon wins bronze in 100m breaststroke SB8
Paralympic Champion Katarina Roxon had one goal when she got in the pool in Maderia: land on the podium. On Saturday, the 29-year-old swam to a bronze medal in the women's 100m breaststroke SB8 final, winning the fifth world championship medal of her career.
WATCH | Katarina Roxon pushes to bronze:
The native of Kippens, N.L., finished with a time of 1:24.48, just 0.89 seconds behind the winner, Ellen Keane of Ireland. Spain's Anastasiya Dmytriv won the silver medal with a time of 1:23.69
Alexander Elliot swims to bronze in 100m backstroke S10
A native of Kitchener, Ont., Alexander Elliot already had two world championship bronze medals to his name but decided it was time to add another on Saturday, as he swam to a bronze medal and a time of 1:02.44 in the men's 100m backstroke S10.
WATCH | Alexander Elliot adds to his collection:
In front of him, two Italians took the silver and gold medals, with Stefano Raimondo finishing with the world championship in 59.68 and fellow countryman, Ricardo Meniciotti, grabbing second in 1:00.68.
"I'm in a lot of pain, but I'm glad I swam it," Elliot said post-race. "I left it all on the table today."
Nikita Ens wins silver in women's 200m freestyle S3
Nikita Ens, of Meadow Lake, Sask., scored a silver medal in the women's 200m freestyle S3 on Saturday, finishing only behind American swimmer Leanne Smith. Ens kept her confidence throughout the race, finishing in a time of 4:51.75, good enough for the podium.
Canadians leave with extra luggage
Many of the Canadian athletes will have slightly heavier bags when they return to Canada after the world championships, as Canadians won 18 total medals in Madeira – six gold, five silver and seven bronze.
More than 600 athletes from over 70 nations competed at the event, with 31 swimmers representing Canada.