Mitch Calvert
Alex Parent is hoping to make a big splash down in Rio de Janeiro.
The Fort Frances native will be going up against some of the best disabled swimmers the world has to offer at the International Paralympic Committee’s world championships Nov. 29-Dec. 5 in Brazil’s second-largest city.
Parent last represented Canada at the 2006 world championships in Durban, South Africa, where he set new personal bests in four of the five events he swam, including the 100m backstroke (1:12.4), 100m freestyle (1:01.9), 200m IM (2:40.1), and the 400m freestyle (4:44.99).
The 20-year-old is three years wiser and better prepared this time—and aims to compete in the 400m free, 50m free, 100m free, 100m back, and 200 IM.
“Already I feel a lot faster,” Parent remarked.
“Training has been pretty intense since the start of the season, and I trained throughout the summer, as well, so I should be in really good shape come November,” he noted.
While he did not qualify for the finals in any of his events in South Africa, Parent is hopeful he can make a finals appearance this time around.
“My goal would definitely be to make a final, doesn’t really matter where I place in the final, but making one would be amazing and a big step forward for me,” Parent enthused.
“But if not, I’m just hoping for best times and moving up in the world ranks.”
Currently enrolled in environmental science at McMaster University in Hamilton, Parent juggles class time with a busy schedule in the pool—and the balancing act is paying dividends.
“I’ll be in the pool about eight times a week, two to two-and-a-half hours each session, and about an hour to an hour-and-a-half three times a week in the gym,” he explained.
“The [race] times have been consistently going down since last year, which is really nice to see, and I’m hoping they’ll continue to go down with some significant drops at this meet.
“In the 400 free, I’ve gone from a 4:44 to a 4:35, so almost a 10-second drop, which is really good for me,” Parent stressed.
“It’s taken me a while to get that one back down, but better turns and stricter technique throughout the race have really helped.”
Meanwhile, Parent’s long-term goal is still within sight—to represent Canada at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, England.
“I’ll continue to train until 2012 and hopefully make that team, as well,” he said.
“There are 30 going with the swim team this time [to the worlds], but Paralympics will go down to 20 because the qualifying standards are a little more strict,” he noted.
