People young and old lined up outside a market in Moncton, N.B. on Saturday to take their picture and get the autograph of Paralympian Danielle Dorris — who secured one gold and one silver, but also shattering a world record.
The meet-and-greet was held in partnership with the City of Moncton, and people were allowed to stop and chat with Dorris, take their pictures, get their shirts signed and even hold her medals.
“I couldn’t be more proud,” Dorris said in an interview with journalists. “My mind was very much just go for it … leave all I can in the water — I think I did that. I mean, two world records in a day are pretty amazing in my opinion.”
She swam in S7 50-metre butterfly, beating her own world and Paralympic record in a time of 32.99 seconds.
That was Dorris’s second medal of the Paralympic Games in Tokyo. She’d captured a silver in the S7 100-metre backstroke.
She said the support has been amazing.
“It’s amazing. It shows how much people care and how much of an impact I have on others,” she said. “There are no words for the support I get.”
Dorris said she wants to be able to use some of the popularity to raise some awareness about the Paralympics.
“I very much want to bring awareness to the fact the Paralympics are parallel to the Olympics,” she said.
The Paralympics were held in Tokyo, Japan, from Aug. 24 to Sept. 5. Canada secured 21 medals, including five gold, 10 silver and six bronze.
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