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CANADA: Danielle Dorris wins gold at world para-swimming championships

The Moncton, N.B., native also won bronze in the SM7 200 individual medley on Monday
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Canada's Danielle Dorris swims to a gold medal in the S7 100-metre backstroke at the para-swimming world championships in Manchester, England in this Thursday, August 3, 2023 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Swimming Canada, Ian MacNicol *MANDATORY CREDIT*

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom — Canada's Danielle Dorris won gold in the S7 100-metre backstroke on Thursday at the para-swimming world championships. 

She finished with a time of one minute 22.02 seconds.

American Julia Gaffney took silver in 1:22.26 and Ukraine's Veronika Korzhova earned bronze in 1:23.52.

“That whole thing was so much fun,” said Dorris, who earned Canada's 10th medal at the event. “That first 50 felt amazing, the second 50 started to hurt and I could see everybody trying to catch up. 

"But I’m just telling myself ‘No, I got it, I just need to held on just a little bit longer.' That was my whole thought near the end.”

The Moncton, N.B., native also won bronze in the SM7 200 individual medley on Monday.

Dorris won the gold in the 50 butterfly and silver in the 100 back at both the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021 and the 2022 world championships in Portugal.

Canada now has six gold, two silver and two bronze after four of seven days of competition. The six gold matches its victory count from the 2022 worlds, where it won 18 medals.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2023. 

The Canadian Press