Swimmer Nicholas Bennett wins Canada's first Paralympic gold medal in Paris

PARIS — Nicholas Bennett shed "everything" tears during O Canada at the Paralympic Games pool Monday.

The 20-year-old swimmer from Parksville, B.C., won Canada's first gold medal of the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris with his victory in the 100-metre breaststroke.

"It's a mix of everything," Bennett said after the medal ceremony at La Defense Arena.

"It's the joy of being able to compete against the best athletes in the world and be the best out of them. Also the relief of finally showing the world I'm here and one of them, one of the best."

Bennett is the first Canadian man to win a Paralympic gold medal in swimming since Benoit Huot in 2012 in London.

"Heavy," was Bennett's assessment of his prize. "Man, it's a beautiful piece of history with me."

He stood atop the podium two nights after taking silver in the 200-metre freestyle.

Bennett is the reigning world champion and holds the world record in the 200-metre individual medley, which he'll race Wednesday.

The Canadian was the only man in Monday's breaststroke final to swim under one minute four seconds in a time of 1:03.98.

Jake Michel of Australia took silver in 1:04.27. Naohide Yamaguchi of Japan was the bronze medallist in 1:04.94.

Yamaguchi had beaten Bennett for the breaststroke world title last year in Manchester, England.

"I was just more confident. We've been working my breaststroke every day for the last year," Bennett said. "Breaststroke is such a finicky race for myself.

"I just had to hold on and race Yamaguchi. That was the only thing that mattered at that moment."

When asked how it felt to beat world-record holder Yamaguchi, Bennett shook with emotion and needed a moment to compose himself.

"I'm having a hard time speaking right now. It was surprising to say the least," he said. "I saw him in my peripherals and I just had to hunker down the last few metres."

Bennett, who was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at the age of three, races in the S14 classification for athletes with an intellectual impairment.

His older sister Haley Bennett-Osborne, who has been his full-time coach since 2022, watched from the arena seats as her brother executed the work they'd done to improve his breaststroke.

"Right now, I'm tired, but during it was I was so excited I could barely watch," Bennett-Osborne said.

"He really clinched on the last 25 (metres). That's what we've been working on the last year because that's where we thought he could improve on from Manchester when he got silver."

"Breaststroke is such a technical stroke, we thought it was really important to dial in how he was going to feel in that moment when there's lots of excitement, and its really emotional and he's super-tired, super-fatigued. Technique was everything that 25 metres."

The siblings relocated from Vancouver Island to Red Deer, Alta., last year when Bennett-Osborne got a job coaching the Red Deer Catalina Swim Club at the Michener Recreation Centre.

"I don't think we have the typical sibling dynamic," Bennett said.

"She's always been quite responsible for her age and an amazing human being to say the least. It's just chemistry I guess. She's probably the only person I trust fully to get me to this point."

Osborne-Bennett, 24, echoed that trust is the key to the siblings making their coach-athlete relationship work.

"Especially with his designation, it's really important to have someone that understands his specific behaviours and training mentality," she said.

"I just think I know him really well, so it's easier for me."

Canadians have won five medals in the pool in Paris. Swimming continues until Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 2, 2024.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press