Winning medals isn't anything new for Surrey swimmer Arianna Hunsicker.
A longtime swimmer with the Surrey Knights Swim Club, Hunsicker won six gold medals and one silver at the 2016 BC Summer Games. She followed that with five bronze medals at the 2019 Parapan American Games, and was named Swim BC's female provincial para swimmer of the year in 202.
Having also competed in two world championships, Hunsicker, now 21, will make her Paralympic debut in Paris later this week, with opening ceremonies on Wednesday (Aug. 28) officially kicking off the 2024 Paralympic Games.
Simon Deguire, who is head coach at Montreal's High Performance Centre in Quebec, where she trains, is also part of the coaching staff for Paris 2024.
Speaking from the staging camp in Vichy last week, before the team travelled to Paris, Deguire shared that having the whole team there really seemed to help.
"Since we arrived in Vichy, Ari's been really focused – I think it helps to have a big team around... I think it really helped to have all 22 athletes – it helps lift the intensity a bit," he said. "My group personally has been good, digging deep in some difficult sets. They're also super focused. I like what I'm seeing so far."
Born with a partial left hand, Hunsicker will compete in three S10 events: the 150 m Freestyle, the 400m Freestyle and the 100m backstroke.
Deguire said both he and Hunsicker have high goals and high expectations heading into the Paralympic competition, and noted she performs best when she doesn't overthink.
"She performs best when she's super loose, she's super relaxed, so we're going to try to have her relaxed, confident and serene about what's been done and confident about what's going to be executed in the pool," he said.
"What I want for her most is to compete hard and maybe, reach some of those goals."
Another Surrey Paraswimmer, Sebastian Massabie, is also on Team Canada and in Paris with Hunsicker.
The 2024 Paralympic Games run from Aug. 28 to Sept. 28 in Paris, France.
