Aurelie Rivard of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, and Shelby Newkirk of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, each won the gold medal on Sunday at the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships in Madeira, Portugal. Rivard, who was born with no fingers, and only a partial thumb, won the gold medal in the women’s 50 metre freestyle in the S10 classification. Newkirk, who has a progressive neurological disorder called generalized dystonia, won the gold medal in the women’s 100 metre backstroke in the S6 classification.
Rivard won her 15th career medal and fifth gold medal at the International Paralympic Committee World Para Swimming Championships with a time of 27.65 seconds. Maria Paula Barrera Zapata of Colombia won the silver medal with a time of 28.23 seconds. Jasmine Greenwood of Australia won the bronze medal with a time of 28.37 seconds. Rivard reached the podium by 0.87 seconds over Alessia Scortechini of Italy, who was in fourth place with a time of 28.52 seconds.
Newkirk, who won her first world championship gold medal, posted a winning time of 1:20.96. Anna Hontar of Ukraine won the silver medal with a time of 1:23.46. Nora Meister of Switzerland won the bronze medal with a time of 1:24.77. Newkirk easily reached the podium by 7.17 seconds over Grace Harvey of Great Britain, who had a fourth place time of 1:28.13.
