Aurélie Rivard has captured Canada’s first gold medal of the Tokyo Paralympics.
The 26-year-old from Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., smashed her own world record in both her heats and final of the 100-metre freestyle on Saturday.
Rivard, who was born with an underdeveloped left hand, touched the wall in 58.14 seconds, beating Chantalle Zijderveld of the Netherlands by more than two seconds.
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The medal was Rivard’s second in Tokyo, and the seventh Paralympic medal of her career.
She was named Canada’s flag-bearer for the closing ceremony in Rio after her triple gold-medal performance at the 2016 Olympics.
The Paralympics are Rivard’s first competition since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
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