VICTORIA – Paralympic superstar Aurélie Rivard has decided to withdraw from selection to this year’s World Para Swimming Championships as she focuses on completing her law degree at Université Laval.
Rivard, 29, has been a cornerstone of the national team since her Paralympic debut at the London 2012 Games. While she remains passionate about the sport, she is choosing to focus on her academic goals for the coming year.
“I’ve always put swimming first,” said Rivard, who is competing at the Canadian Swimming Trials running in Victoria through Thursday. “I’ve taken semesters off and built my life around the sport. But at this stage, with just under a year left in law school and a graduation target of April 2026, I didn’t want to push it back again.”
The St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., native holds 13 Paralympic medals – six gold – and last year became the first Canadian female swimmer to earn medals at four Paralympic Games. Despite stepping away from worlds, Rivard emphasized that this is not a step toward retirement.
“I’m still training, still enjoying the process,” said Rivard, who trains with Marc-André Pelletier at CNQ in Quebec City. “LA 2028 is still in the back of my mind. It’s my fifth cycle, and I want to approach it slowly and thoughtfully, without burning out. I was excited about worlds – it just didn’t work out schedule-wise this time.”
Rivard is scheduled to compete in the 100-m freestyle Monday and 50 free Tuesday.