A big weekend for a Saskatoon swimmer.
Shelby Newkirk set new records in the S7 50-metre and 100-metre backstroke at the Can-Am Para-Swimming Championships in Windsor, Ont.
“I was really proud of how I raced,” Newkirk told Swimming Canada in a press release.“There is definitely more room for improvement, but for now, I’m really happy with how it all went.”
Newkirk, 20, was also selected to compete on the Canadian para-swimming team for the 2017 World Para-Swimming Championships in Mexico City on Sept. 30.
“I’m really proud of how it all went, and I’m just so glad that I had this experience,” she said.
At the age of 13, Newkirk was diagnosed with dystonia and has no feeling in her right foot.
Initially, swimming was a way to get some exercise, then turned into a passion.
“To be able to now look at the international stage and be on Team Canada and travel it is all unbelievable,” she said.
As she gets ready for her biggest swim meet of her young career, Newkirk says she won’t be satisfied until she can take on the best in the world.
“The goal is the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo, I want to by a Paralympian and I think 2020 could be my year.”