Read the full story in the Sept. 7 edition of The Interior News.
A Quick man is in Rio representing Canada and the Bulkley Valley at the Paralympics.
This will be the first time 31-year-old Jonathan Dieleman will be competing at the Paralympics. The T4 paraplegic will be swimming in the 50-metre breaststroke event.
“It’s slowly sinking in that I am actually going,” he said. “But I’m more excited than anything else.”
He’s been at two different training camps and has only been home for a handful of days over the last month-and- half. He said he’s looking forward to coming home after the games and having a good home-cooked meal. But first he is going for gold.
Dieleman broke a world record in the 50-metre breaststroke at the Parapan Am Games last year, his first international swimming competition. He finished his race in 50.39 seconds, more than two-and-half seconds faster than the previous record.
“I feel a bit of pressure about expecting good results but for the most part this is my first Paralympics and I’m mostly happy to be there,” he said.
However, that doesn’t mean he isn’t going to give it his all.
“I’m going in ranked fourth in the world right now and my goal is to make a gold medal. I do have some expectations, but I’m happy with where things are,” he said.
