St. Albert's young para-swimming phenom Reid Maxwell ended 2023 by breaking a host of national records, and by setting a new “unofficial” world record.
Maxwell, 16, broke the Canadian S8 record for the 400-metre freestyle swim at the Ken Demchuk Invitational in Surrey, B.C. between Nov. 28 and Dec. 4. Then, at the JP Fiset Invitational in Edmonton from Dec. 14-17, Maxwell broke the Canadian S8 records for the 200-metre freestyle, 100-metre backstroke, and 200-metre backstroke.
S8 refers to Maxwell's para-swimming classification. The S covers the backstroke, freestyle, and butterfly swimming strokes, and the 8 refers to Maxwell's level of disability on a 1-10 scale, with a ranking of 1 being considered the highest degree of physical impairment.
Maxwell was born without a lower right leg and lives with Prune Belly Syndrome, which the United States-based National Organization for Rare Disorders says is mainly characterized by a partial or complete absence of stomach muscles.
Each of Maxwell's new 400-metre freestyle, 200-metre freestyle, 100-metre backstroke, and 200 metre backstroke Canadian records were previously held by Quebec's Philippe Vachon, 28.
“I went in and I broke all the records I wanted to break,” Maxwell said, adding the Ken Demchuk Invitational was the first time he competed under the S8 level, whereas he previously competed as an S9.
“I was hoping just to get as many records as possible.”
His four new Canadian records are in addition to the 100-metre freestyle S9 national record Maxwell set last April at the 2023 Bell Canadian Swim Trials in Toronto.
At the JP Fiset Invitational last month, Maxwell managed to shave almost three full seconds off the world record S8 time for the 800-metre freestyle; however, he explained, he didn't officially break the world record, which is held by Ontario's Zach Zona.
“Technically the world record is unofficial, because for it to be official there has to be all the bells and whistles and drug testing, all that kind of stuff, and it has to be a sanctioned meet,” he said. While the Ken Demchuk Invitational in B.C. was a sanctioned meet, the JP Fiset Invitational was hosted and organized by the Olympian Swim Club of Edmonton.
“I'm kind of just curious where I'm going after breaking records, because breaking records gets your name out there and everything, makes you a little bit more well-known.”
Although there are no guarantees, Maxwell's new records could boost his chances of competing for Canada in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, which get underway in August.
While his new records don't automatically secure his entry to the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Trials in May in preparation for Paris, Maxwell's performance in the 400- and 800-metre freestyle at the Ken Demchuk Invitational did secure him multiple Minimum Qualifying Standard (MQS) swims, which are one major requirement to be eligible for the Paralympic team tryout.
With his MQS times secured, Maxwell will head to Scotland in early February to compete in the first Citi Para Swimming World Series event of 2024, an event he must compete in as part of the Paralympic eligibility process. In April, Maxwell will head to Portugal to compete in the 2024 European Open, which is the last piece of eligibility he needs to compete in the Paralympic Trials.
Asked about his goals for 2024, Maxwell said he's hoping to compete in Paris, and that he wants to break more records.
“I want to break more records, and I want to shoot for some official world records,” he said. “Apart from that, I want to see where I'll go and where I'll end up.”
“If you miss out on something, that's fine, it's not the end of the world, but keeping yourself as open as possible definitely helps.”
Vachon, who still holds a number of S8 Canadian records despite Maxwell's recent performances, told the Gazette in a Facebook message that he thinks the young St. Albertan has an “extremely promising future in swimming.”
“First and foremost, I would like to warmly congratulate [Maxwell] on his recent performances,” Vachon said, adding, “even though I still feel a slight twinge in my heart to see my 400-metre freestyle record be surpassed.”
“I look forward to witnessing what he is capable of and potentially competing with him at the upcoming Paralympic Games.”
