Canadian swimming star Aurèlie Rivard aims to rediscover world-class form in 400m free at Paralympics

There is no doubting Paralympic swimmer Aurèlie Rivard’s proficiency.

The Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., native is a 10-time Paralympic medallist, half of which are gold. She’s won another 19 medals at world championships.

Rivard currently holds four world records in her S10 classification, a category reserved for the least impaired freestyle, backstroke and butterfly swimmers.

She’s already reached more world-championship podiums than any other Canadian woman, and at 28, she’s a legitimate threat to surpass Chantal Petitclerc and Michael Edgson, with 21 medals apiece, as the most decorated Canadian summer Paralympian ever.

Rivard’s coach Marc-André Pelletier put it succinctly: “she’s f—ing good.”

And yet there’s one race, one discipline in particular, that has become a thorn in Rivard’s side.

WATCH | Rivard golden at Para world championship:

In 2012 at her debut Paralympics, Rivard won silver in the 400 freestyle. In 2016, she bumped that up to gold. In 2021, she broke her own world record to repeat as champion.

And then something funny happened at the 2022 world championships in Portugal.

Rivard led at the 50-metre mark. She led at the 100-metre mark, and the 150. Throughout, Hungary’s Bianka Pap emerged as the Canadian’s lone competitor, touching the halfway point just one-tenth of a second behind Rivard.

But Rivard looked strong. She even extended her lead slightly at the 250-metre mark.

And then she stopped. Pap swam on, gaining about a quarter-length advantage as Rivard held on to the wall like a kid in swimming class.

WATCH | Rivard stops swimming mid-race at 2022 worlds:

Aurelie Rivard pulls up during 400m freestyle at 2022 world championships

Canadian Paralympian forced to stop racing during event in Portugal.

Finally, Rivard tried to go again. She dove back underwater, came up, took one stroke, then stopped again, paused a moment to lean on the lane divider, then exited the pool.

The play-by-play commentator theorized that Rivard may have taken on water. Maybe it was just a one-off.

But one year later, at worlds in England, it happened again. This time, though, there was no water to blame.

Rivard qualified for the final, then suddenly pulled out before the race began.