Parksville’s Nicholas Bennett wins double gold at Paralympics

Nicholas Bennett (middle) smiles with sister Haley (left) and teammate Reid Maxwell (right). Photo: Instagram / nicholas.bennett_

After breaking a world record at the Paralympic Games trials in Para swimming, Parksville’s Nicholas Bennett has finished his second Paralympics with two golds and one silver.

At 20 years old, Bennett is celebrating his big wins at this year’s Paris Paralympic Games. This is his second time competing at the games but his first time making it to the podium after winning not just one but three medals in Para swimming.

Bennett won gold in Men's SB14 100m Breaststroke and Men’s S14 200m Individual Medley and took home silver in Men's S14 200m Freestyle. According to the International Paralympic Committee, Bennet swam in the SB and S 14 sports class for swimmers with an intellectual impairment.

CHLY spoke with Bennett after he finished his races. He told CHLY the Paris games have been an amazing experience.

“I've had a couple days to simmer down emotionally, but looking back, I'm quite static, to be honest, it bodes well for the next couple of years,” Bennett said.

He said he got to experience the Paralympics with his sister and coach Haley which he said elevated the experience.

“Well, we don't have a typical sibling relationship, so it's well, it's just amazing that I have this chance to share these moments with her, but it's unique, to say the least,” he said. “I had my parents here. I've also had my cousin and my sister's husband's family, so it's quite a big cheer squad.” 

He said having his family there made the games even more special. 

“Well, I would say it was quite emotional after my first guilt medal, I saw my dad, and we both had a very hard time keeping it together at that point,” he said.

Swimming has been an important part of Bennett’s life and something he used as a form of therapy after being diagnosed with autism at a very young age.

“With my autism diagnosis, my coordination– like the mind-body connection isn't too great,” Bennett said. “So I started out doing water therapy, and at that time, I think it was around seven, which is when I joined my first swim team back out in Qualicum Beach.”

He said while he was not a natural athlete in the beginning, with time and training he was able to grow his strength.

Recently, Bennett moved to Red Deer, Alberta so he could continue training under his sister who had recently relocated there for a new career opportunity.

He said while the Paralympic Games are an amazing chance to meet people from around the world, his favourite memory from it was seeing his sister right after his first win.

“That was probably the most emotional I've been in a while,” Bennett said

Bennett said while the medals from this year’s Paralympics came as a surprise after not winning any at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, he put in a lot of time and effort training to grow to where he is now.

“My sister's a wonderful coach, so the growth wasn't too surprising,” Bennett said

He said while taking some time to rest is warranted for when he comes back to Canada, right now he is training for the World Para Swimming Open Water Cup in Sardinia, Italy at the end of this month.

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.