Sebastian Massabie sure made the most of his maiden season on the world stage.
Less than 12 months after obtaining his international classification, the 19-year-old from Surrey, B.C., has been named Swimming Canada’s Breakout Swimmer of the Year – Paralympic Program following a record-setting 2024 campaign.
He joins Katie Cosgriffe, Félix Cowan, Nicholas Bennett and Aly Van Wyck-Smart on the list of recipients since the inception of the national award.
It was at the 2023 Ken Demchuk International Swim Meet, held last December in his hometown of Surrey, that Massabie secured the all-important classification that would allow him to take the next steps in his promising career.
It was also there that he officially announced himself as one of the new stars of the national Paralympic program with six Canadian records in three days, good for male swimmer-of-the-meet honours.
That remarkable performance was, as the saying goes, a sign of things to come.
In his first international competition last April, the fourth leg of the 2024 Citi World Para Swimming World Series in Indianapolis, Massabie set an S4 world record in the 50-m butterfly.
A month later, at the Olympic & Paralympic Swimming Trials, Presented by Bell, in Toronto, he once again lowered the 50 fly world standard and shattered six more national marks to qualify for his first Paralympic Games.
Then came Paris 2024.
After setting Canadian records and reaching the final in his first two individual events, the 100 and 200 freestyle (fifth and sixth-place finishes), Massabie captured gold in the 50 free on the penultimate night in world record time.
In doing so, he became the first Canadian swimmer in history – male or female – to win a Paralympic title in the S4 class.
“I feel very proud and grateful to receive this honour,” Massabie said of the Breakout Swimmer of the Year award.
Jy Lawrence, who has coached Massabie at the Pacific Sea Wolves Swim Club since Sept. 2019, had a front row seat to witness his exploits in the French capital as a member of Team Canada’s coaching staff.
“Honestly this whole year hasn’t fully set in yet,” she said.
“There have been so many milestone achievements and I still need some time to reflect on what this means for me. It’s been exceptional and I’m very excited to see what else we can do together.”
Despite her protégé’s limited international experience, Lawrence was confident in his ability to get the job done on the world’s biggest stage in Paris.
On the morning of Sept. 6, in the 50 free heats, Massabie clocked 36.95 to lower the previous Paralympic standard of 37.21 set at Tokyo 2020 by Israel’s Ami Omer Dadaon.
Dadaon’s world record of 36.25, established in 2022, fell a few hours later when the Canadian posted a winning time of 35.61 in the evening final.
“I don’t know if a coach will ever say they are confident of that big of an improvement. But I was confident in his mental prep and training and his drive to win.
“I knew he would put together a great race, but that exceeded my expectations.”
Massabie’s first reaction after he touched the wall was a mix of surprise and pure joy.
“At first I thought ‘Did I do it’,” he said. “Once I realized I had done it I was surprised. It felt great.”
Massabie and Lawrence agree trust is the cornerstone of their athlete-coach relationship.
“I just trust the programming and do what Coach Jy tells me,” said Massabie. “Training hard and good communication are essential.”
“The trust he has in our relationship,” added Lawrence when asked about the keys to their successful partnership. “That if I ask him to do something it is for his benefit.
“And the biggest change (since I started coaching him) is his work ethic. He is one of the hardest workers I have ever met, but that was not the case initially. We spent a lot of time on how we communicate as well and that if he doesn’t understand I’m always open to him asking me questions.”
The next major international competition on the Canadian Para swimming program’s calendar is the world championships 10 months from now.
Asked what he and his coach will be working on leading up to his first career worlds, Massabie had a simple answer.
“Improving areas of weakness.”
The 2025 World Para Swimming Championships are set for Sept. 21-27 in Singapore.