If the 2024 Paris Olympics were the summer of Summer in the pool for Canada, the Paris Paralympics are turning into the summer of Nicholas.
Parksville swimmer Nicholas Bennett won his second gold medal of the 2024 Paralympics, and third overall including a silver, by winning the men’s SM-14 individual-medley 200 metres final in a Games-record two minutes, 06.05 seconds Wednesday at La Défense Arena, which was just over his world record by seven-100ths of a second.
“It was amazing. The second-best time ever. I’m quite happy with it, to say the least,” Bennett told reporters in the media scrum.
The Islander easily outdistanced silver-medallist Rhys Darbey of Great Britain (2:08.61) and bronze-medallist Ricky Betar of Australia (2:08.69) to add to his golden total in France that also included victory in the SM-14 100-metre breaststroke. His silver came in the 200-metre freestyle.
“There were not as many tears on the podium [as after his first gold medal]. It’s still kind of hard to believe,” said Bennett, 20, of his breakout Paralympics.
“It feels like just yesterday I was a 14-year-old who just got classed [in the SM category for autism]. I didn’t expect this much of an exponential growth. To do it so young just shows I have more to come. It was a lot grinding down what didn’t work and redefining what did every day for the past three years. I’ve grown as a person and fully know what it takes to accomplish this and the sacrifice it takes to reach this point. I finally get to tell my story. It’s amazing what you can do with a little refining every day in the water.”
Bennett began the sport at the Ravensong Aquatic Club in Qualicum Beach under coach Mike Thompson and is now coached by sister Haley Bennett-Osborne, herself a former swimmer in the Ravensong club.
“That elevates these moments. It’s just amazing. I’m so incredibly lucky to have this relationship with her,” said Bennett.
Bennett became the first Canadian male swimmer to win multiple gold medals in the Paralympics since Benoit Huot at Athens in 2004. It continues a big summer splash for Canada in La Défense Arena, where Summer McIntosh last month won three gold medals and a silver in the Paris Olympics.
Bennett’s second gold was the fifth medal won for Canada by Island athletes in the Paris Paralympics. Alongside Bennett’s three medals have been the gold and bronze medals, respectively, won by wheelchair racers Cody Fournie and Austin Smeenk of Victoria. Fournie and Smeenk have more races this week and further opportunities for the podium, as does Bennett.
“I’m a little exhausted but still have one more [race] to go through and we’re just going to keep the energy up until then,” said Bennett.
A big Island medal hope, ambulatory 1,500-metre runner Nate Riech of Victoria, will race to defend his gold medal from the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics on Friday at the Stade de France.
Wednesday was Canada’s best day at the 2024 Paralympics with golds by Bennett and shot-putter Greg Stewart and silvers from swimmer Reid Maxwell and cyclist Nathan Clement.
Mel Pemble of Victoria, who missed the Paris Paralympics podium by the narrowest of margins on the velodrome in placing fourth last weekend, was 14th in the women’s C1-3 road time trial on Wednesday in 26:05.83, which was 4:35.08 behind gold-medallist Maike Hausberger, of Germany.
“Time trial generally is not a fun thing. You ask any time trialist and they will wonder why they do this,” said Pemble, of the event known in cycling as the Race of Truth.
“The climbs killed me. I am not a climber. It’s a tough event, for sure. I went in there and gave it my all.”
Pemble is a rare Summer and Winter Olympian after also competing in skiing at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Paralympics. Her parents started her in skiing on Mount Washington as a way to deal with her cerebral palsy. She showed her versatility by later turning to track cycling on the 1994 Commonwealth Games velodrome in Colwood.
“It was my second event and the pressure was off my shoulders a bit and a way to soak in the rest of the Games experience,” said Pemble, of the road time trial, after her fourth place in the velodrome.
“With only one sprint event on the track, this is something I pondered as a challenge. I love being a track sprinter. Maybe this will help me develop in the future with more events. We’ll see how that goes.”
Stewart repeated as Paralympic champion in the men’s F46 shot put at Stade de France. The 38-year-old from Kamloops had retired after winning gold at the Tokyo Games but made a comeback to compete in Paris.
Now, he is looking ahead to the future.
“I am going to go on to L.A. [the 2028 Games], this one is just halfway,” he said. “I wanted to come back and continue supporting the Paralympic movement, and support athletes any way we can.”
Road cyclist Clement is another medallist who had retired and returned to find glory in Paris.
The 29-year-old from West Vancouver represented Canada in swimming at the 2016 Paralympics before switching to cycling and winning a silver medal in the men’s T1-2 individual time trial on Thursday. Although Clement retired from swimming in 2018, his competitive drive was reignited two years later.
“It means the world. It’s something I’m still really trying to process right now, to be a Paralympic medallist,” he said. “Along my journey as a stroke survivor at the age of two and a half, my parents were told very early on my chances at a normal life would not be possible.”
Canada has 17 medals, including four gold, six silver and seven bronze for 18th place in the Paris Paralympics table.
— With files from the Canadian Press
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