Aly van Wyck-Smart

Started: She began swimming at age 10, and started competing at age 14. (cpworldgames.com, 11 Aug 2018) Reason: She began the sport as part of her physical therapy. She was also inspired to swim by her grandmother, who competed in masters races. "I was terrified of the water. My first trials for my team, I actually had to be pulled out of the water because I was struggling so much. My fear and anxiety stopped me, but I kept trying and it worked. The team aspect has helped me with my shyness. Having that camaraderie with your friends and teammates is amazing. It affects all aspects of your life for good. It has given me so much more confidence and made me mature way faster. I've always been around sports because of my family, and I always loved competing in things and wanted to be at their level." (paralympic.ca, 12 Aug 2021; torontosun.com, 03 Dec 2017) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (swimming.ca, 06 Dec 2019; mtc.gov.on.ca, 01 Apr 2017) Awards: She was named 2019 Breakout Para Swimmer of the Year by Swimming Canada. (swimming.ca, 06 Dec 2019) At the 2019 Canadian Swimming Trials she received a Best Swim award for the best performance by a female Para swimmer at the event, after setting a world record in the SM2 150m individual medley. (swimming.ca, 07 Apr 2019) In 2018 she was named Female Provincial Para Athlete of the Year at the Ontario Sport Awards in Canada. (mtc.gov.on.ca, 01 Jan 2019)