Valérie Grand'Maison

Valérie Grand'Maison

Personal information
Nationality	Canadian
Born	(1988-10-12) October 12, 1988 Fleurimont (Sherbrooke), Quebec
Height	1.64 m (5 ft 4+1⁄2 in)
Weight	64 kg (141 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle Breaststroke Butterfly Medley
Club	CAMO Swim Club
Medal record Women's swimming Paralympic Games 2008 Beijing 100 m butterfly S13 2008 Beijing 100 m freestyle S13 2008 Beijing 400 m freestyle S13 2012 London 200 m individual medley SM13 2008 Beijing 100m backstroke S13 2008 Beijing 50 m freestyle S13 2012 London 50 m freestyle S13 2012 London 100 m freestyle S13 2008 Beijing 200 m individual medley SM13 IPC World Championships 2010 Eindhoven 400m freestyle S13 2010 Eindhoven 100m freestyle S13 2010 Eindhoven 100m breaststroke SB13 2010 Eindhoven 100m butterfly S13 2010 Eindhoven 200m medley SM13 2010 Eindhoven 50m freestyle S13

Valérie Grand'Maison (born October 12, 1988) is a Canadian former swimmer and Paralympic champion. Over two Summer Paralympic Games she won a total of six medals setting multiple world records in Paralympic swimming.

Biography

Valérie Grand'Maison started swimming at the age of seven years and started to compete competitively at the age of nine years with the swimming club CAMO of Montréal. Grand'Maison developed a condition that degrades the vision of the eyes called macular degeneration at the age of 12. By the age of 15, she had already lost most of the vision in both her eyes. Pierre Lamy, her swimming coach at the time, suggested that she get classified as an athlete who is handicapped.

At the 2005 Canada Games in Regina she qualified to be part of the Canadian Handicapped Swimming Team. She then participated at the Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne, Australia. In 2006 at the National Swimming Paralympic Championships in South Africa, she won seven medals with five of them being gold. She also established a new record for the 100 Metre free. At the 2008 Summer Paralympics Grand’Maison won six medals, with three of them being gold. One gold was for the 100 Metre Butterfly, another for the 100 Metre Free and the last for the 400 Metre Free. In addition she broke two world records.

In 2010 a right shoulder injury put her career on hold. Grand'Maison changed her swimming schedule to accommodate the injury. She was a member of the McGill University Marlets and trained under the guidance of coach Peter Carpenter.

In 2011, at the Pan-Pacific Championships in Edmonton, Grand'Maison raced the 200 m individual medley and won the gold medal. She also added three silver medals and one bronze to her collection. Grand'Maison finished second in the 50 m freestyle, 200 m freestyle and 100 m breaststroke. In addition, she won third place in the 100 m butterfly and fifth in the 100 m freestyle.

At the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, Grand'Maison participated in the 50 m and 100 m freestyle, 100 m breakstroke and 200 m individual medley events. She won silver medals in the 50 m and 100 m freestyle (S13) and a gold medal in the 200 m medley, setting a world record.

Grand'Maison's final international competition was the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships held in her hometown of Montreal, Canada.

Personal life

Grand'Maison attended McGill University where she completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology and History. Whilst at McGill University, she was coached by Peter Carpenter until her retirement from professional swimming in 2013.

Performance History

Grand'Maison has competed at a number of events around the world including World Championships and Paralympic games. She has held multiple S13 world records.

External links

• Meet McGill Paralympian Valérie Grand’Maison – McGill Reporter
• Valérie Grand'Maison on Twitter
• Valerie Grand-Maison at the International Paralympic Committee
• Valerie Grand-Maison at IPC.InfostradaSports.com