Golden Hawks recruit Elliot off to Parapan Am Games

WATERLOO, Ont. (June 25, 2015) - One of Wilfrid Laurier's newest swim recruits will be representing Canada at the IPC World Championships in Scotland and at the Para Pan Am Games in Toronto this summer.

Alec Elliot, originally from Kitchener, Ont., broke more than a couple of Canadian Para Swimming records this year and is spending his post-high school grad summer racing in prep for his ultimate goal, the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  

Alec has been swimming for the Region of Waterloo Swim Club since a child and this year trained beside the Golden Hawks. It was being so close to this team that made him decide to enroll in Laurier for September 2015. 

"It was important to me to join these guys as a teammate," said Elliot about Laurier swimming. "They supported me this year and I missed them a lot when the University year was done. I want to be a part of this team."

Alec was born with a rare condition called syndactyly, which limits the use of his hands and feet. Syndactyly affects only one in about 2,500 people; it is even rarer in both hands and both feet. Elliot is classified as a para swimmer, but his speed and times kept him a highly recruited athlete this year due to his speed and natural feel for the water.

"My focus was to keep Alec here," said Golden Hawks head coach Mike Thompson who will also serve on the coaching staff at both the Parapan Am Games and the IPC World Championships. "Alec brings so much professionalism and respect to our team, we are very proud to have him as an addition. He also adds great depth and speed, which is what we need right now."

Elliot is just one a number of high calibre athletes that Thompson and his assistant coaches have added this season. Also joining the purple and gold for 2015-16 will be Mackenzie Holden ofToronto, Max Hughes of Toronto, Tyson McDonald of Brantford, Ont., Olivia Sinclaire of Oakville, Ont., Bailey Dalbec of Brampton, Ont., and Sarah MacLean of Caledon, Ont.

"Without a doubt, this is going to be a fantastic season for Laurier swimming," added Thompson.

Source: Laurier Golden Hawks