A Surrey Paraswimmer is getting ready to compete in Paris next week.
Sebastian Massabie, 19, who swims with the South Surrey-based Pacific Sea Wolves club, has spent the past nine days in Vichy, France at staging camp with other Paralympic athletes and coaches, preparing to compete against the world's best.
Massabie, an S4 (Parasport classification) athlete, will compete in the Men’s S4 50m freestyle, S4 100m freestyle and S4 200m freestyle races in Paris. He travels there Saturday (Aug. 24) with his Canadian teammates and Pacific Sea Wolves coach Jy Lawrence.
With an amazing swim season behind him – Massabie has recently shattered several national and world records in several events, breaking one decade-old butterfly record four times this year – Lawrence is looking forward to the Paralympic Games, which start with opening ceremonies Aug. 28 and go until Sept. 8.
"This is his first experience at this level of competition, so I am excited to see how he handles this," Lawrence said via email from France. "He has had an exceptional season, so I’m excited to see how it carries through into the Paralympics."
Earlier this year at the 2024 Paralympic Trials, Massabie – who has cerebral palsy that affects his left side – broke six Canadian records in the S4 class: the S4 50m freestyle, S4 100m freestyle, S4 200m freestyle, S4 50m backstroke, SM4 150m individual medley and S4 50m butterfly, setting a new world record in the butterfly with a time of 38.68 seconds.
He further broke the new butterfly record he had just set on July 29 at the Canadian Swimming Championships with a time of 38.02 seconds, having already set a precedent in the preliminaries with 38.48 seconds. During the competition, he also improved upon the national records he had set earlier in the S4 50m freestyle, S4 200m freestyle and SM4 150m individual medley events.
In a release, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke praised Massabie's accomplishments.
“This is a historic milestone for Sebastian and the Pacific Sea Wolves, as he becomes the club’s first Paralympian,” she said. “I want Sebastian to know that the City of Surrey will be proudly cheering him on in his quest for gold."
Lawrence, who has always acknowledged Massabie's dedication, perseverance and strong work ethic, said they are prepared for Paris.
"We have a set plan that we have followed for years, with slight tweaks depending on the competition," she said. "But the biggest thing is making sure that we both know the goal and are working towards the same goal together."
She said it has been an "unreal" experience for both her and Massabie, as it's the first Paralympics for them both.
"Lots of learning and we are both excited to see what the next couple of weeks will hold!"
Team Canada also features another Surrey para swimmer, Arianna Hunsicker; Black Press Media has reached out to her coach.
