Paralympic champion Aurelie Rivard arrived at Trudeau Aiport Tuesday morning to a hero's welcome.
The 20-year-old swimmer won four medals at the Paralympic Games in Rio, including three gold for the 50-metre, 100-metre and 400-metre freestyle.
She won silver for the 200-metre individual medley.
The athlete also broke two world records and was the flagbearer for the closing ceremony.
Despite this, Rivard was still surprised to see teammates from her swim club at the airport. and said it was fantastic to see her team after a long flight from Brazil.
Rivard was very proud of her performance at the Games, and said she did exactly what she set out to do: win medals and smash records.
Born without a left hand, Rivard said her message to young athletes is to never give up and to work really, really hard.
"When I started swimming never ever would I have thought I would be here right now with four medals on my neck, and to have been the flag bearer as well. I thought it was only for other people. I thought I would never be able to make it," said Rivard.
The head of Canada's paralympic team, Benoit Huot, said Rivard is the future of the sport, with the necessary talent, motivation and drive.
She admits it has been difficult but she persisted.
"I've had a lot of ups and a lot of downs and I'm still here," said Rivard.
With the Games over, Rivard is going to take a break from swimming for the next few months, then set her goals for the next Paralympic games.
She's also looking forward to sleeping in her own bed and eating poutine.
