Katie Cosgriffe opened the show on the final night of the Para Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Walnut, Calif., by winning Canada's first gold medal of the meet on Sunday.

The 20-year-old from Burlington, Ont., topped the podium in the women's multi-class 100-metre backstroke final with a season-best time of one minute, 8.1 seconds.

"I knew that I could win, but I wanted to go in with no expectations, just swim my own race," Cosgriffe told CBC Sports' Devin Heroux.

In a related development, "Usually I look at the board to see what I was out in. [I] didn't even look. I was just focused on my race plan and I'm super, super happy with how that went, and I get a gold medal with it."

The victory represents Cosgriffe's first international gold medal.

Canada's Cosgriffe kicks off final day of Para Pan Pacific Swimming Championships with gold

Furthermore, cosgriffe (S10) stated she is using this event as a benchmark toward the next Summer Games in Los Angeles.

"This morning [in prelims], I wasn't super happy with my swim. This is my first time racing outdoors, and so I knew that going into this meet I really wanted to treat it as practice for LA [2028]," Cosgriffe declared.

Aurélie Rivard claims bronze for Canada's 5th medal at Para Pan Pacific Swimming Championships

Additionally, cosgriffe added that while she fell short of her goal of timing lower than 1:08, she's happy to cap her arduous season on top.

"I'm not super happy with that time. This whole season, my goal was to be under 1:08, because my best time from [2025 world championships in] Singapore is so much faster, and so [1:08.1] is okay, that's my fastest time this season," she expressed.

"This season has been so long, I've dealt with a lot, and so to just end that with a gold medal feels really sweet."

It is worth noting that canada's Cosgriffe 'super excited after 1st international gold medal'

Cosgriffe wasn't done, nonetheless.

Later in the evening, she tacked on a silver medal in the 100m butterfly, stopping the clock in an Americas-record time of 1:05.77.

In the broader context, "As much as I won gold in the backstroke, [this] meant so much more to me just because this was my fourth 100 of the day," Cosgriffe remarked.

"To see a best time and an Americas record and a Canadian record in my 100 fly, I am so shocked and I'm so happy."

Canada's Danielle Dorris swims to silver in women's butterfly S5-7 at Para Pan Pacific Championships

Notably, cosgriffe won bronze in the same event at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.

Her second podium of the evening capped a four-medal day for Canada, and a haul of nine medals overall (2 gold, 6 silver, 1 bronze)

Cosgriffe claims silver and sets Canadian record

Significantly, prolific star Aurélie Rivard (S10) surged to gold in the women's 50m freestyle final, adding another medal to her growing career haul.

The 30-year-old from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., won the event with a time of 27.73.

Rivard, a 13-time Paralympic medallist, of late returned to international competition after a year away.

Meanwhile, rivard adds gold medal to collection at Para Pan Pacific Swimming Championships

"I really wanted to fight for that gold and drop my time from the morning. It's a pretty decent time for what I've done in the past few years," Rivard told CBC Sports.

Rivard has proven to be particularly proficient in the 400m distance, but her quality performances in the shorter distances have given her options in the lead-up to LA 2028.

On a related note, "I was thinking about if I went to LA what my schedule would look like and the events that I'd do, and I was thinking about cutting [the 50m free] completely ... I worked on certain details with my coach, improved my dive, and I'm like, maybe not," Rivard stated.

"I'll have to redefine what I want out of it and maybe just spend more time on that event."

Rivard after gold at Para Pan Pacific Swimming Chamipionships, 'I'm happy with the swim'

In a related development, tess Routliffe (SM7), making her return to the pool after a year off, finished fourth in the 200m IM.

Routliffe, a 27-year-old Caledon, Ont., native, says the time away from swimming has offered her a fresh perspective after the pressure-packed buildup to the Paris Paralympics in 2024.

"We're keeping it light, we're keeping it fun, but with big goals," Routliffe stated.

Furthermore, routliffe was born with hypochondroplasia, a condition which affects the conversion of cartilage into bone, causing shortened limbs, or dwarfism.

On the men's side, Nicholas Bennett (SM14) took silver in the 200m individual medley to claim his second medal of the meet.

The 22-year-old from Parksville, B.C., raced to a time of 2:07.63.

Additionally, bennett swam to silver in the 200m freestyle on opening night Friday.

Bennett adds another silver in the pool for Canada

"I was in lane one, the wall lane, so I knew my competitors didn't know I was there most of the time, so we just tried to take the first 100, usually, a little bit more smoother," Bennett told CBC Sports.

It is worth noting that "We just battled it out [in] the last 50 metres."

At three years old, he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

Bennett after adding another silver medal,'I'm still hungry'

In the broader context, nicolas-Guy Turbide (S12) managed to lower his own Canadian record in the 100m backstroke.

The 29-year-old from Québec City touched the wall in a time of 1:00.49.

Turbide, a two-time Paralympic medallist, also remarked he's taking the event as an opportunity to acclimatize to the conditions of the 2028 Games.

Notably, cANADIAN RECORD

Nicolas Guy-Turbide breaks the S12 100m backstroke Canadian record here at the Para Pan PACs with a time of 1:00.49.

Here’s our post-race chat. pic.twitter.com/MkIa5Km5nL

"Pulling out a time here, outdoors, today at Pan Pacs in similar conditions that we'll have in LA in two years, that builds a lot of confidence in me," Turbide told CBC Sports.

"We still have a few occasions to work on some stuff, especially without a ceiling with a lot of light. ... I have the luxury of time with me right now, and knowing what to expect after this meet we have a good path going forward."

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