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For Benoît Huot, being a champion is a whole new set of pressures. He says ‘Carrying all of those expectations on your shoulders can end up being very destructive because you think about the outcome instead of the process, which is not very useful.’Rachel Idzerda/The Globe and Mail

Benoît Huot began his swimming career alongside able-bodied athletes, before discovering that his clubbed foot (a relatively minor disability he has had since birth) qualified him for Paralympic competition. Since then, he has become one of the most accomplished Para athletes of all time, earning 19 medals over the course of an almost 20-year career. At the Para Pan Am Games this week (and next), Huot will represent Canada in the four different swimming events. Here, he shares some of the secrets to his success, including why Serena Williams is a Para athlete icon.

Forget about the outcome

My performance at the Beijing Paralympics was definitely a low point in my career. I was world champion going in, favoured to win, but that didn't happen. Looking back I realize that I had gotten to a point where I wasn't enjoying what I was doing and that that was having a negative effect. I knew I had to make changes to how I was approaching my career. I had to come back to basics and try to have fun the same way I did when I was 10 years old. Being a champion is a whole new set of pressures. Carrying all of those expectations on your shoulders can end up being very destructive because you think about the outcome instead of the process, which is not very useful. The process is the thing that you can change and work at, so that's where I now put my focus.

The wisdom of the Williams sisters

For me, the most exciting part of the Parapan Am Games is getting the chance to represent Para athletes in my home country. I still want to do well in the pool, of course, but I have won the medals. Now I am coming towards the end of my career and I'm really feeling most passionate about the Para movement. I dream of the day when the gold Olympic Para medal has the same worth as the Olympic gold – not in terms of monetary value, but in the eyes of the public. I know that it's not something I'm going to see during my professional career, but I really hope that I will see it in my lifetime. People say, 'No way, that's ridiculous.' But there was a time when they would have said the same about women's tennis. Fifty years ago, tennis was a boy's club. Today, Serena Williams plays on the same court as Novak Djokovic. And she wins the same bursary.

Relaxation is the best preparation

In the days leading up to a big competition, I try to behave as normally and fluidly as possible. As high-performance athletes, we put so much effort and work into our sport and then it's our entire focus and it can be overwhelming and counterproductive. Going about my life – having fun, spending time with friends and family – helps me keep things in perspective and it helps me stay out of my head. That's what works for me, but it's definitely something that's different for every athlete. I've tried the method where you're sort of insulated from normal life leading up to big competition and it was just too much stress.

Look on the bright side … then lock up your valuables

When my medals were stolen last year, it was obviously a terrible thing, but there was a positive spin to the whole story in how much attention it brought to me and to Para sports. More media wanted to interview me when the medals were stolen than when I won them in the first place. I guess the experience was a good reminder that even the worst things that happen can have that silver lining. And also it taught me to be more careful. Most of my medals are now in a safety deposit box at the bank.

This interview has been condensed and edited by Courtney Shea.

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