Marc-André Pelletier, head coach of the Club de Natation Région de Québec, is full of praise for his longtime protégé, Nicolas-Guy Turbide.

“Nicolas-Guy is an athlete who is very professional in his approach, very dedicated in everything he does,” says Pelletier, who has been coaching the 24-year-old since his graduation from high school in 2014. “When I work with an athlete, I see it as a bit of a puzzle. You have to work on different things and fix problems in order to try to achieve success. Nic is very good at that. He understands quickly what works for him, he’s good at giving me feedback and most importantly, he’s very open to anything that will help him improve.

“With him, I don’t have to negotiate work. He wants to get to the top. That makes a coach’s job a lot easier. At this level, it’s what you expect.”

This professional approach has greatly helped Turbide in his preparation for his second Paralympic Games. The Quebec City native will be one of 19 Canadians in action during the 2020 Games swimming competition, which runs from Aug. 25 to Sept. 3 at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

Turbide shows great maturity when it comes to the one-year postponement of the Games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are always ready to face any situation. If the Games had been in 2020, we would have found a way to be ready.

“Having said that, one of the reasons I’m glad the Games were postponed, in a way, is that there would have been a great disparity in the performances of different athletes from different countries because not everyone had the same opportunities to train and compete, the standards and rules were not the same everywhere. The extra year allowed most countries to put themselves back on a somewhat level playing field, a little more equal, and in my opinion that is part of the Olympic and Paralympic spirit. We want everyone to be at their best, we don’t want someone to be at a disadvantage just because they haven’t had the same opportunities.”

On a personal level, the visually impaired athlete has made the most of the past year.

“It gave me a chance to reset my perspectives a little for the Games and also outside of swimming. I enrolled in university in financial planning and made sure I was performing as well in my studies as I was in the pool. I hadn’t been to school full time since 2014, so it was a big step for me.

“I’ve never had such good grades. I surprised myself. I also realized that there was an important connection between my field of study and competitive swimming. I am able to use what I have learned in swimming in my studies. The combination of the two ensured that I was able to be motivated in everything I did during the pandemic.”

Turbide earned his spot for Tokyo 2020 by winning silver in the 100-m backstroke S13 at the 2019 World Championships in London. In his first appearance at the Paralympic Games, at Rio 2016, he won bronze in his favorite event, in addition to reaching the final of the 50-m freestyle S13.

He will compete in these same two events in the Japanese capital.

Was Turbide surprised to reach the podium in his first appearance on the world’s greatest sporting stage?

“I wasn’t necessarily surprised. I knew during the year that it was a possibility. I realized that more and more the closer we got to the Games. That said, you never know how your competitors will perform, especially in the Paralympic world.

“There can be so many surprises from new swimmers entering the system. This will be even more true this year because of all the swimmers we haven’t had the chance to see compete, at least internationally, but who have trained nonetheless and have kept improving.”

While they don’t want to talk about specific performance goals, Turbide and Pelletier agree that experience will be a valuable asset in Tokyo.

“I head to Tokyo with experience on my side, that’s a big psychological advantage,” says Swimming Canada’s male Para swimmer of the year in 2016 and 2018. “The majority of my competitors will be younger and competing at their first Games. They’ve never experienced the Paralympics, so I really have to use that advantage by telling myself that I know what to expect, I know what the Games are like, although it will be very different this year, I know how I’m going to react, how to be ready, how to be my best. I head there full of confidence and in control of what I can do.

“I know the podium is achievable. At the same time, my main goal is to fulfill my personal expectations by controlling what I can control.”

His longtime coach agrees.

“Nic has a lot more experience, and we’re going to use that. He’s physically stronger, he’s a better athlete,” says Pelletier. “However, due to a nagging injury, his back is sore, much more so than in past years. We’ll have to be smart, but I think we’ll be able to adapt, because Nic a smart athlete. If it weren’t for his back, he would really be over the top.

“No matter what happens, we’re going to be satisfied. There is no way we’ll leave Tokyo with regrets because we’ll have done all we can.”