Being named Swimming Canada’s Coach of the Year – Paralympic Program is nothing new for Marc-André Pelletier.

In his 20^th season as head coach of Club de Natation Région de Québec, Pelletier had already merited the award four times in seven years – including the past two – when he got the call to let him know he was being honoured once again.

With his national trophy case getting a little cramped, it’s safe to assume Pelletier didn’t mind sharing this year’s award with a colleague who has been quickly moving up the ranks in recent years, namely Ryan Allen from Club de natation Bleu et Or in Moncton.

The reason for the tie?

Pretty simple.

Both mentors saw their swimmers return from last summer’s World Para Swimming Championships in Manchester, England, with the exact same medal tally, an impressive two gold, one silver and one bronze.

“It’s always nice to be recognized, for sure,” said Pelletier, who now sits one shy of the all-time record for most Paralympic Coach of the Year awards held by Pierre Lamy, also a member of the CNQ coaching staff. “It means that the work we’ve been doing is still valid.”

“It’s obviously a big honour. Just to be part of that group of Swimming Canada award winners is really quite cool,” added Allen, who has coached at CNBO since Sept. 2013. “Whether it’s a club, provincial or now a national award, it’s really a testament to the athletes that I get to be around. And I try really hard to remind myself of that.”

At Manchester 2023, three of Pelletier’s CNQ athletes, all veterans of two or more Paralympic Games, reached the podium.

Aurélie Rivard of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., added a pair of S10 world titles to her remarkable resume by winning the women’s 50 and 100-m freestyle. Abi Tripp of Kingston, Ont., captured her first career individual medal at worlds, silver in the women’s 100 breaststroke SB8. Quebec City’s Nicolas-Guy Turbide took bronze in the men’s 50 free S13.

By contrast, 21-year-old Moncton product Danielle Dorris, herself a two-time Paralympian, accounted for all the hardware for Allen and the CNBO.

Dorris, of course, gained Paralympic fame in Tokyo three years ago when she claimed gold and set a world record in the 50 butterfly S7. At worlds, she successfully defended her title in the 50 fly, in championship record time. She also triumphed for the first time on the world stage in the 100 backstroke, placed second in the 50 free and third in the 200 individual medley.

“Obviously, this award is heavily connected to Danielle,” said Allen, a member of the Canadian coaching staff at the last two world championships and Canada’s head coach at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games. “The first thing I honestly think of is her when I get the call for an award like this.

“I hadn’t seen her handle an entire competition of success like that, with four podiums, and kind of the load that comes with that. We did do a lot of planning around that going into Manchester, and I think it definitely helped set her up for the success she had. She can probably say ‘That’s the best meet that I’ve ever had.’”

For Pelletier, the 2023 worlds was more about managing the workload of his veteran swimmers in a pre-Paralympic Games year, and keep working towards success at Paris 2024.

“At their age, you have to prioritize a little more. Aurélie, for one, will be 28 in May,” he said about the five-time Paralympic champion and eight-time world titlist. “They’re not 17 anymore, so you have to learn to manage it all.

“In Abi’s case, we were able to get back to very close to her best times. It was a very good year for her.

“As for Nicolas-Guy, he only swam the 50 free after winning the world title in the 100 back in 2022. He’s no longer able to train for the backstroke because of his back problems. Last year, we started focusing on the 50 free at the Commonwealth Games and he won gold. And now at worlds he finished third. Because there is still room for improvement, it bodes well for Paris.”

When it comes to Paris 2024, the co-coaches of the year are glad to go into this Paralympic year without all the uncertainties that disrupted the preparation for Tokyo, where they were both part of the Canadian staff.

“It’s the day-to-day context that’s easier,” said Pelletier. “We know the Games are happening. We know when they’re happening.

“I think a bit more comfort and confidence,” Allen said. “I mean, Danielle has done it before, that’s one thing. And she’s done it under the worst possible conditions (in Tokyo), we could argue.

“Step one is to make the team at Trials, of course. But for an athlete like Danielle, you can certainly have an higher eye towards Paris, and try to simulate a lot of the things that we want to see go well.”

The 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Swimming Trials, presented by Bell, are set for May 13-19 in Montreal.