Swimming (M & W) | 4/5/2018 3:34:00 PM
GOLD COAST, Australia
-- Sarah Mehain, a McGill University graduate, won a silver medal for Canada at the Commonwealth Games on Thursday.
Other McGillians at the Games include Alex Kiss-Rusk, playing for the women's basketball team, and Redmen bench boss David DeAveiro, an assistant coach with the men's basketball team. Both basketball tournaments open on Friday.
Mehain, a 23-year-old para swimmer from Vernon, B.C., was clocked in 37.69 seconds in the women's 50-metre butterfly in the S7 disability category.
''It was a really solid race for me,'' the 5-foot-3 sprinter said in a media conference. ''I've made some adjustments to my stroke and it seems to be working out really good.''
Canada is aiming for 100 medals at the Games, which are being hosted by the city of Gold Coast and include events for both able-bodied and para athletes.
Mehain, who swam for McGill varsity squad in both her freshman and sophomore years, graduated last spring with an Arts & Science degree, majoring in sustainability science and sociology. She has cerebral palsy and is hemiplegic, which results in one side of her body being weaker than the other and not as coordinated.
She has previously competed in numerous major competitions, including the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, the 2015 International Paralympic Committee world championships in Glascow, the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro and the 2017 CanAm para-swim championships in Windsor, Ont.
The six-day swimming event wraps up at the Games on Tuesday.
With files from CBC Sports and The Canadian Press
