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Canadian swimmer Benoit Huot started swimming competitively at age 10. Born with a club foot, Benoit initially swam alongside able-bodied swimmers and competed at two Quebec Games earning silver in 1997.
Huot blazed onto the scene in 1998 as a member of Canada’s Swim Team at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships where he won two gold and four silver medals. He added three more gold medals and three silver medals at the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney and eight medals at the 2002 IPC World Championships.
Benoit has been honoured with the titles of Male Athlete of the Year with a Disability by the International Commonwealth Federation and World Disabled Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine.
At the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Benoit earned five gold medals, one silver medal and three World Records. In the S10 category in the 200m individual medley at the 2007 ParaPan American Games, Benoit beat his own world record and finished the meet with three gold and four silver medals.
In September 2008, Benoit competed at the Beijing Paralympic Games where he won four bronze medals. As result of his outstanding performance in Beijing, Benoit was awarded the King Clancy Award by the Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons (CFPDP).
Benoit has been a Right To Play Athlete Ambassador since 2004 and is actively involved raising awareness and funds to support Right To Play’s sport and play programs across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
In November 2007, Benoit visited Right To Play projects in Mali with fellow Right To Play Athlete Ambassador Chantal Petitclerc.
Career Highlights
- 4 Bronze Medals; 2008 Parlaympic Games, Beijing
- 5 Gold, 1 Silver Medal; 2004 Paralympic Games, Athens
- 3 Gold, 3 Silver Medals; 2000 Paralympic Games, Sydney
- 14 IPC World Swimming Championship Medals
- 2003 Male Athlete of the Year with a Disability – International Commonwealth Federation
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