'I am so proud of him': Swimmer with autism wins 2 medals at Canada Games
'Just because your child has autism, don’t sell them short'
Ron Canney remembers being told his son Jesse, diagnosed with severe autism before he was two years old, wouldn't amount to much.
But the 21-year-old New Brunswick swimmer has been proving them wrong.
Jesse Canney won two medals in para-swimming at the 2017 Canada Summer Games in Winnipeg on Wednesday.
The first was a bronze medal in the 100-metre backstroke, the second was a silver medal in the 100-metre butterfly.
- N.B. athletes rest under ice during Canada Games heat wave
- Taymouth Tigers bringing small-town dreams to Canada Games
- Fredericton girls make up half the N.B. soccer team for Canada Games
"To see him working and being at these games, it's terrific," said Ron Canney, holding back tears.
"Just because your child has autism, don't sell them short."
My nerves were fried, I don't know if they'll ever recover.-Pamela Moxon, Jesse's mom
The father of three wasn't able to join Jesse in Winnipeg, so he live streamed the races on his computer in Durham Bridge, surrounded by friends and family.
"There was a lot of clapping and yelling at the screen," Canney said from his home.
Jesse is taking part in seven events and has three races and some tough competition still to go.
His mom, Pamela Moxon, was at the two races when he medalled. She watched as her son stood, arms folded, concentrating on the pool before the start of each event.
"My nerves were fried, I don't know if they'll ever recover," she said. "I knew he had a medal shot yesterday and that's even more nerve-racking."
This is the competitive swimmer's second Canada Summer Games. The first was in Sherbrooke in 2013.
Part of the team
When Jesse was growing up, his parents wanted him to get out of his comfort zone.
So the athlete, who lived with his family near a fish pond by the Nashwaak River, started taking private swimming lessons when he was six.
"He just sort of really excelled at it," said Ron.
From there, Jesse took swimming classes with the Special Olympics New Brunswick but found he needed something more challenging.
For the past five years, Jesse has been getting up early to make his 5:45 a.m. swim practice with the Fredericton Aquanauts Swim Team, known as FAST. He trains eight times a week in the water and three times at the gym.
"Usually, people with autism aren't social … but it definitely helps him with it," Ron said. "He has great teammates … it's definitely helped him make friends and be part of something."
Silver medal for Jesse Canney <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CGSwimming?src=hash">#CGSwimming</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/jcg2017?src=hash">#jcg2017</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Team_EquipeNB">@Team_EquipeNB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SwimmingNB">@SwimmingNB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/FASTSwimTeam">@FASTSwimTeam</a> / médaille d'argent <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/jcnatation?src=hash">#jcnatation</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZysviezGm7">pic.twitter.com/ZysviezGm7</a>
—@ouellette_manonJesse's swimming coach, Marta Belsh, who is also the head coach of FAST and Team New Brunswick's swim team, was on the pool deck watching as the New Brunswick athlete raced.
"I'm super excited for him, he worked so hard and put so much time into this that he really deserves to win … not one but two [medals]," said Belsh.
Once the games are finished, Canney hopes his son can join the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
With more practice and training, Canney has no doubt Jesse will get there.
"I am so proud of him."