Danielle Dorris Wins 3rd Straight World Para Swim Gold

When Danielle Dorris touched the wall in Singapore last September, she didn't just win gold. She joined an exclusive club of only three Canadians to ever win the same event at three straight World Para Swimming Championships.

The 23-year-old from Moncton, New Brunswick, captured gold in the 50-meter butterfly at the 2025 worlds, adding to her collection with silver in the 100 backstroke and bronze in the 50 freestyle. Her performance earned her Swimming Canada's Female Swimmer of the Year for the Paralympic Program for the second time.

"Being able to win it on my own this year is pretty special," Dorris said. She shared the honor in 2023, but this time the recognition was hers alone after what she calls "a fantastic year."

Only two other Canadians have achieved this three-peat feat. Swimming legend Benoît Huot won four straight world titles from 2002 to 2013, and Aurélie Rivard matched his success from 2015 to 2023.

"Having the opportunity to share that with Aurélie and Ben is pretty cool because I grew up knowing their names," Dorris said. "Being able to be on the same level as them is very special."

The two-time Paralympic champion now owns nine career world championship medals. But her favorite race in Singapore wasn't even one she won outright.

In the 50 freestyle final, Dorris clocked 33.67 seconds to edge Great Britain's Iona Winnifrith by just 10 hundredths of a second for bronze. "It very much looked like we had touched at the same time," she recalled with excitement.

Even her gold medal victory came down to the wire. Long-time rival Mallory Weggemann from the United States pushed her harder than ever, finishing just 32 hundredths behind.

"Mallory gave me a run for my money," Dorris said. After the race, she told her competitor, "That was such a fun race."

Why This Inspires

At Singapore 2025, Dorris stepped into a new role as one of three team captains. For the first time in her career, she found herself surrounded by teammates her own age rather than being the youngest.

"It just felt like I was with a bunch of friends," she said. Her coach Ryan Allen praised how she "knocked it out of the park" in terms of leadership and engagement with the team.

Now Dorris has her sights set on Los Angeles 2028. She's gunning for a third consecutive Paralympic title in the 50 butterfly, which would cement her legacy even further.

"It'd be really cool to be able to show them that I'm doing this for them and for myself and for the country," she said about competing close to home with more family watching.

At just 23, with three world championships under her belt and possibly three more Paralympic cycles ahead, Dorris is just getting started.