MIAMI, Fla. – The top of the podium is becoming a comfortable spot for Gabby Baird.

The sixteen-year-old collected her second pair of gold medals at the Can-Am Open on Saturday, adding to the two gold she had won the day before. Baird’s final times in the S9 50-m freestyle and 100-m backstroke were within one second of her entry time.

“I like winning,” said the Guelph native, “it makes me happy. Then, before my race, I just want to win again, so I just get excited.”

Using this competition to focus on technical skills, GMAC Director of Swimming Development Kendra Burton was pleased with Baird’s results.

“We’re not really focused much on this weekend,” Burton said, “we’re still baby-stepping to Trials in March.

“The fact that she’s having success right now is really good.”

When asked about what Can-Ams has done for Baird’s confidence, Burton was a firm believer in the positive effect it will have. She explained that meeting Stephanie Dixon and qualifying for finals in her first Para-swimming Trials in April created some momentum leading into this season.

“[Trials was] the first time I saw the light turn on,” Burton said. “She just stood up and thought, ‘Oh, I might be ok at this, I’m an athlete’… So I think that was the first time she really got some confidence.”

Winning four gold medals in an international competition certainly doesn’t hinder that excitement.

“[Can-Ams] is giving her some confidence that it’s completely doable and that she can compete against those guys.” Burton said.

By “those guys,” Burton is referring to the several Paralympians, both Canadian and American, who are competing alongside Baird at this competition.

When asked what she thought about racing against these Paralympians, Baird kept it simple:

“It’s really cool.”

Other Can-Am highlights from day two:

·       Nicolas-Guy Turbide won the S13 50-m freestyle, less than a second off of his time from the final of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

·       Camille Bérubé swam to a silver medal in the SB7 100-m breaststroke in a personal best time, bettering her performance from the Paralympic Games.

·       Kingston’s Abi Tripp earned her first personal best of the competition in gold medal fashion, winning the SB8 100-m breaststroke.

·       Canadian men won the men’s 100-m breaststroke in three out of the four competing sport classifications: James Leroux (SB9), Tyler Mrak (SB13) and Maxime Rousselle (SB14)

·       Nicolas Plamondon of Québec took five seconds off of his entry time in winning the 200-m butterfly, while also narrowly missing another best time in the 50-m freestyle, finishing in third place.