SINGAPORE – Katie Cosgriffe made it an even dozen for Canada on Saturday as the World Para Swimming Championships came to a close at the OCBC Aquatic Centre in Singapore.
The Burlington, Ont., native claimed silver in the women’s 100-metre backstroke S10 to up the Canadian delegation’s podium count at the seven-day WPS meet to 12, including two gold, three silver and seven bronze medals.
The 19-year-old contributed to that tally twice as she had previously captured bronze in the 100 butterfly on Day 5.
“I’ve thought about this race every single day since my fifth-place finish last summer in Paris,” said an emotional Cosgriffe. “I was so devastated after that swim, I knew that I never wanted to feel that way again.
“This entire season, the focus has been on this race. I’m just super happy to win my first major international medal in this event. It’s been such a struggle for me over the past few years that to be where I’m at right now feels amazing.”
After lowering her personal best to 1:08.08 in the morning preliminaries, Cosgriffe took it to yet another level in the evening final with a 1:07.37 swim.
Trailing Türkiye’s Defne Kurt by 0.55 at the turn, the Canadian outpaced her rival coming back but came up 42 hundredths short. Kurt claimed her remarkable fifth title of the week in 1:06.95.
Bianka Pap, the reigning Paralympic champion and defending two-time world titlist from Hungary, took bronze in 1:07.85.
“I’m just really happy with how I raced tonight,” said Cosgriffe, who represents Wilfrid Laurier University, coached by Cathy Pardy, as well as the Oakville Aquatic Club, coached by David Tontini.
“Obviously, I was going for gold. I got out-touched. Defne is an amazing swimmer and I knew she’d be tough to beat. I just slightly felt short but I gave it my all and I’m just so happy to come out of this with a medal.”
Asked how she managed to deliver when it counted the most this week, the double medallist had a simple answer.
“I think I swim well when I’m having fun. If I let my nerves overcome me, that’s kind of where I tense up. My entire focus this week has just been on enjoying myself, enjoying the moment, and just having fun in the water. I’ve done that, and I had an amazing week.”
Arianna Hunsicker of Surrey, B.C., also competed in the women’s 100 back S10 final, placing seventh in 1:15.59.
Just as Cosgriffe was thrilled for her on Day 1 when she captured her first career worlds medal, bronze in the 50 freestyle, Hunsicker was ecstatic for her teammate after the 100 back.
“I might have been even more excited,” said the 22-year-old from Côte Saint-Luc Aquatics in Montreal.
“I watched to see what position and what time she got even before I finished my race,” Hunsicker said laughing. “I’m so happy for her. She deserves this.”
A pair of Canadian records also highlighted the final night of swimming in Singapore.
In the women’s 100 free S5, Alisson Gobeil of Alma, Que., finished fifth in 1:32.36, just under her previous national mark of 1:32.41 set in 2023.
The 20-year-old from Club Natation Juvaqua reached the final in each of her three events in her world championships debut. She also placed fifth in the 50 free on Day 1 and eighth in the 200 free on Day 6.
“I’m over the moon,” Gobeil said. “I couldn’t have hoped for a better final swim. Everything went well in this race, and I’m 100 percent pleased with it.
“The 2028 Paralympic Games are my biggest goal, so my performance here bodes well.”
Not to be outdone, Jordan Tucker of Guelph, Ont., also lowered her own national standard two races later, posting a 4:03.35 to place sixth in the women’s 200 free S4.
A veteran of the Madeira 2022 worlds, the 23-year-old had recorded her previous best of 4:03.87 last June at the Bell Canadian Trials in Victoria.
“This is just amazing,” said Tucker, who trains at Royal City Aquatics. “I just want to keep going.
“I saw my dad in the crowd and I wanted to show him I could beat my record. He’s probably crying right now.”
Also competing in an individual final on Saturday was Mary Jibb of Muskoka, Ont., sixth in the women’s 50 free S9 (30.33).
The 18-year-old was sensational this week in her world championships debut with three podium finishes, tied for the team lead with long-time national team standout Danielle Dorris of Moncton, N.B.
In the very last event of Singapore 2025, Jibb and Cosgriffe teamed up with Jagdev Gill of Brockville, Ont., and Sebastian Massabie of Surrey to place seventh in the mixed 4×100 free relay 34 points (4:21.61).
In the morning preliminaries, Toronto’s Aly Van Wyck-Smart placed ninth in the women’s 100 free S3 (2:28.96), Massabie was 14th in the men’s 100 free S5 (1:22.17) and Nicholas Bennett of Parksville, B.C., finished 19th in the men’s 100 butterfly S14 (1:00.35).
Ryan Allen, appointed National Coach Lead, Paralympic Program last February, was thrilled with the team’s overall performance in Singapore.
“A key word that comes to mind is resilience. And it’s not to say there’s any specific event that we’ve had to deal with but when we look at all the potential challenges, whether it’s the time of season that we’re in, the location, the climate, those are some key factors that come to mind. I think the team really rallied around each other coming off a great staging camp in Thailand. We used that to prepare really well, and everything has gone according to plan.”
In additional to 12 medals, Canada finished the WPS meet with one championships record, three Americas standards, 15 national marks, and 28 personal bests.
“I think the swimming was phenomenal. In the absence of some veterans that we’ve had for years, we had newcomers step up, first-time medallists at worlds, multi-medallists. We’re right on the performance level that we saw in Paris. We saw almost every athlete racing in a final, which is a huge feat. Personal bests every single day. That stands out to me.”
Nineteen Canadians were among over 580 athletes from 75 nations competing this week at the OCBC Aquatic Centre in Singapore. It marked the first-ever edition of the World Para Swimming Championships held in Asia.
Schedule & results: https://www.paralympic.org/swimming/live-results
CANADIAN MEDALLISTS AT SINGAPORE 2025
GOLD (2)
Mary Jibb: women’s 200 individual medley SM9
Danielle Dorris: women’s 50 butterfly S7
SILVER (3)
Danielle Dorris: women’s 100 backstroke S7
Reid Maxwell: men’s 200 individual medley SM8
Katie Cosgriffe: women’s 100 backstroke S10
BRONZE (7)
Nicholas Bennett: men’s 200 freestyle S14
Arianna Hunsicker: women’s 50 freestyle S10
Mary Jibb: women’s 100 freestyle S9
Katie Cosgriffe: women’s 100 butterfly S10
Nicholas Bennett: men’s 200 individual medley SM14
Danielle Dorris: women’s 50 freestyle S7
Mary Jibb: women’s 100 backstroke S9