Courtesy: Swimming Canada
MARKHAM, Ont. — The Ken Demchuk International Invitational, held Friday through Sunday in Markham, Ont., saw a series of record-breaking swims, including a world record by Paralympic champion Sebastian Massabie.
Massabie, of the Pacific Seawolves, broke his own world record in the men’s 50-metre butterfly S4 during his preliminary swim on Day 1. His time of 37.95 seconds shaved 0.07 seconds off his previous record, which he had set at the Speedo Canadian Senior Championships in July. This marks Massabie’s fifth time lowering the world record in this event this year.
“It was really great. I was just following my race plan, which I discussed with my coach,” he said. “This meet is about seeing where I’m at, but also about getting better
The 19-year-old had a packed schedule, competing in eight events, finishing on the podium in six. Massabie was recognized as Male Swimmer of the Day on Day 2, and earned “Swim of the Meet” honours for his world record performance.
On the first day of racing, Shelby Newkirk of the Saskatoon Lasers set a Canadian record in the women’s 400-metre freestyle S6, posting a time of 6:14.33 in the preliminaries. She returned in the evening finals to lower her own record, finishing in 6:06.15.
“My coach and I sat down and decided not to put the pressure on (the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games) this early, since that’s still four years away. We wanted to experiment with different things, including some added distance, so I tried the 400 freestyle. It’s definitely not a race I’m used to, but I’m really proud of the results. I’m happy with the time, and my coach is, too,” Newkirk said.
But Newkirk wasn’t done. On Day 3, she broke a 10-year-old Canadian record in the 200-metre individual medley (SM6), shaving almost four seconds off the previous mark with a time of 3:30.92. She views this event as a way to develop strokes she hasn’t focused on as much in the past.
“We’ve been doing the same kind of training for years, which is great, and the consistency is awesome. But it’s nice to try out different things and explore new ways of moving. It’s been really cool to focus on these strokes that I haven’t invested in as much,” Newkirk said.
Alisson Gobeil of Team Quebec set a Canadian record in the women’s 50-metre backstroke S5, clocking in at 55.09 in the preliminaries. However, in the finals, Saskatoon’s Hannah Ouellette challenged Gobeil and claimed the record, lowering it further to 54.97.
“It’s gone really well, especially coming off Paris and some time away from swimming. I’m happy with the result. I was surprised to get the Canadian record. This meet was just a chance for me to see where I am with long course swimming,” Ouellette said.
Other record-breaking performances included 14-year-old Alyssa Smyth of the Orangeville Otters Swim Club, who broke a 20-year-old Canadian record in the women’s 200-metre butterfly S13 with a time of 2:35.48, lowering the previous record by nearly five seconds. Tyson Jacob of Team Quebec broke the Canadian record in the 200-metre individual medley SM5 (3:42.94) and the 50-metre freestyle S5 (38.47), Antoine St-Germain in the 100 breaststroke SB12 (1:26.10), and Alisson Gobeil in the 50 free S5 (41.75).
The meet marked a positive start to the new season for many of Canada’s top Para swimmers, many of whom will turn their attention to the Para Swimming World Series as they work towards next year’s World Para Swimming Championships.
Day 1 Swimmer of the Day:
- Male: MAXWELL, Reid (EKSC) 969 points in the 400-metre FREE in a time of 4:32.32
- Female: NEWKIRK, Shelby (LASER). 848 points in the 100-metre BACK in a time of 1:27.15
Day 2 Swimmer of the Day:
- Male: MASSABIE, Sebastian (PSW) 900 points in the 100 FREE in a time of 1:25.58
- Female: GOBEIL, Alison (QC) 599 points in the 100 FREE in a time of 1:36.09
Day 3 Swimmer of the Day:
- Male: LU, Fernando (OS) 813 points in 50-metre FREE in a time of 25.35
- Female: LAVITT, Maxine 878 points in 50-metre FREE in a time of 28.33
SWIM OF THE MEET
- Male: MASSABIE, Sebastian (PSW) 1256 points in 50-metre FLY in a time of 37.95 (World Record)
- Female: TAN, Yang (Kylin) (OAK) 1062 points in 50-metre FREE in a time of 31.95
