Montreal’s Aurélie Rivard secured a bronze medal in the women’s 400-metre S10 freestyle final on Saturday at the 2026 Para Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Walnut, California, marking Canada’s fifth medal of the international competition following a return to the pool.
The Podium Push in Walnut
The 2026 Para Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Walnut, California, witnessed a performance from Canadian swimmer Aurélie Rivard. Racing on Saturday night, the 30-year-old from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, touched the wall second in the multiclass 400-metre freestyle final with a time of four minutes 37.04 seconds, amassing 933 points. Because the event grouped athletes across S6-11 and S13 classifications, final standings relied heavily on a point system measuring closeness to the designated world record standard for each specific class.
For Rivard, who recently returned to international competition following a year away from the sport, this bronze represents much more than a routine podium finish. “It’s been the highest of the highs and the lowest of the lows with this race, but it’s my favourite,” Rivard told CBC Sports‘ Devin Heroux. “I think it’s still the race that I’m the best at, and I still think I have something to show and something to prove to myself; I think I can still do something better than I already did.”
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- In other Canadian results from the meet, teammate Mary Jibb of Bracebridge, Ontario, clocked 4:47.89 to finish eighth with 848 points in the same multiclass final, according to Swimming Canada.
Tactical Breakdown and Multiclass Dynamics
Rivard, a three-time Paralympic champion in the S10 400-metre freestyle, competed in the final. “When I was younger, this event used to terrify me, and then it turned out to be my greatest strength and my greatest achievement,” Rivard noted regarding her mental and physical approach to the demanding middle-distance freestyle.
The broader Canadian squad also experienced high-stakes competition across Saturday evening’s slate. Nicholas Bennett of Parksville, B.C., finished fourth in the men’s 100-metre breaststroke SB4-6, 8-9, 11, 13-14 final, touching in 1:05.87 for 944 points. That race saw Japan’s 2020 Paralympic champion Naohide Yamaguchi set a world record with a time of 1:02.38, earning 1,055 points. Meanwhile, Reid Maxwell of St. Albert, Alberta, improved on his morning heat times to place fifth in the men’s 400-metre freestyle S6-9, S11, S13 final with a time of 4:32.52.
Day 2 Finals Performance Summary
| Athlete | Event | Class | Time | Points | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurélie Rivard | 400m Freestyle | S10 | 4:37.04 | 933 | Bronze |
| Mary Jibb | 400m Freestyle | S10 | 4:47.89 | 848 | 8th |
| Nicholas Bennett | 100m Breaststroke | S14 | 1:05.87 | 944 | 4th |
| Reid Maxwell | 400m Freestyle | S8 | 4:32.52 | — | 5th |
Looking Ahead to the Final Session
With two days of intense racing in the books, Canada holds a total of five medals—comprising two silver and three bronze—entering the final day of the championships. Bennett enters Sunday with strong momentum ahead of his event, the 200-metre individual medley. “We’re going into 200 IM, one of my best events tomorrow, so I’m excited to see what everyone else can do heading into day three,” Bennett told Swimming Canada. Preliminary heats for Sunday are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. PT, leading directly into the final championship session at 5:30 p.m. PT.
Rivard, meanwhile, is already looking past the podium toward the long-term horizon. Having successfully broken back into international medal contention after her hiatus, the champion expressed anticipation for the next 2 years.
