Abi Tripp

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Abi Tripp

| full_name = Abigail Diane Tripp

| nickname =

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| nationality =

| sport = Paralympic swimming

| disability = Cerebral palsy

| disability_class = S8, SB8, SM8

| event =

| club = Kingston Penguins Aquatic Club

| coach = Vicki Keith

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2001|01|06|df=y}}

| birth_place =

| retired =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = 163cm

| weight =

| pb =

| country = {{CAN}}

| medaltemplates = {{Medal|Sport|Paralympic swimming}}

{{Medal|Country|{{CAN}}}}

}}

Abigail "Abi" Tripp (born January 6, 2001) is a Canadian Paralympic swimmer. She has won bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games and the World Para Swimming Championships,{{Cite web |url=https://www.swimming.ca/en/swimmer/abi-tripp/ |title=Abi Tripp - Swimming Canada |last= |first= |date=25 December 2019 |website=Swimming Canada |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906031047/http://swimming.ca/en/swimmer/abi-tripp/ |archive-date=6 September 2017 |access-date=}} and won silver at the 2023 World Para Swimming Championships. She has represented Canada at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Paralympics, and will compete in swimming at the 2024 Paralympic Games.

Early life and education

Tripp was born in Kingston, Ontario nine and a half weeks early{{Cite news |last=Kennedy |first=Patrick |date=2016-09-21 |title=A 'phenomenal' Tripp |url=https://www.thewhig.com/2016/09/21/a-phenomenal-tripp |access-date=2024-08-05 |work=Kingston Whig Standard}} to parents Steve and Helen Tripp{{Cite news |last=Kennedy |first=Patrick |date=2016-08-15 |title=Kingston swimmer ready for Rio Paralympic Games |url=https://www.thewhig.com/2016/08/15/kingston-swimmer-ready-for-rio-paralympic-games |access-date=2024-08-05 |work=Kingston Whig Standard}} on January 6, 2001. She has an older brother, Ben. At age two, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.{{Cite web |last=Bryce |first=Murdoch |date=2020-01-18 |title=Kingston in Focus with Abi Tripp |url=https://www.brycemurdoch.com/post/kingston-in-focus-with-abi-tripp |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=BM Photography |language=en}}

In 2006, Tripp competed in a Kids of Steel triathlon; while competing, she caught the attention of Vicki Keith, who later approached Tripp's mother about joining the Kingston Y Penguins swim team program for children with disabilities.{{Cite news |last=Balogh |first=Meghan |date=2019-08-05 |title=Kingston swimmer headed to world-class competition |url=https://www.thewhig.com/news/local-news/kingston-swimmer-headed-to-world-class-competition |access-date=2024-08-05 |work=Kingston Whig Standard}} At six-years old, Tripp joined the Kingston Y Penguins swim team.

Tripp attended Rideau Public School and then Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic High School. At age 17, she was diagnosed with dystonia. {{Cite web |last=Grossman |first=David |date=2020-06-01 |title=Abi Tripp |url=https://www.swimontario.com/news/celebrating-opportunity/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=Swim Ontario}} Tripp studied psychology at Université Laval.{{Cite web |last=Harvey |first=Yona |date=2021-09-17 |title=Paralympian Abi Tripp reveals how disqualification brought clarity, joy |url=https://www.kingstonist.com/news/paralympian-abi-tripp-reveals-how-disqualification-brought-clarity-joy/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=Kingstonist News |language=en-US}}

Career

Tripp competed in the 50-metre and 100-metre freestyle, 100-metre breaststroke and 200-metre individual medley at the 2015 Parapan American Games, her major Games debut.{{Cite web |last=Alli |first=Shoaib |date=2016-04-08 |title=Abi Tripp breaks two Canadian records in one day at nationals |url=https://torontoobserver.ca/2016/04/07/abi-tripp-breaks-two-canadian-records-in-one-day-at-nationals/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=The Toronto Observer |language=en-CA}} She placed fourth in all four events.{{Cite web |last=Scilley |first=Claude |date=2015-08-14 |title=For the fourth time, Abi Tripp finishes fourth at the Parapan Am Games |url=http://www.sportkingston.ca/index.php/articles/view/3324/14.html |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=Sport Kingston}} At the 2016 national competition, Tripp broke Andrea Cole’s 2002 record of 3:03.04 in the qualification heats for the 200-metre women’s individual medley SM8 with a time of 3:00.98. Racing again in the final, she broke her new record with a time of 2:58.77.

Tripp made her Paralympic debut at the 2016 Paralympic Games, competing in the 50-, 100- and 400-metre freestyle; the 100-metre backstroke; the 100-metre breaststroke; and the 200-metre individual medley. She made finals in three events,{{Cite web |last=Coppella |first=Emily |title=Kingston at the Olympics: Abi Tripp Takes on Tokyo 2020 |url=https://www.visitkingston.ca/kingston-at-the-olympics-abi-tripp-takes-on-tokyo-2020/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=Visit Kingston |language=en-US}} placing eighth in the 200-metre individual medley, seventh in the 100-metre freestyle, and sixth in the 400-metre freestyle, setting a new Canadian record.

Tripp won a bronze medal in the 50-metre freestyle at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Later that year, she placed fourth in the 200m individual medley SM8 and fifth in the 100m backstroke S8 at the Pan Pacific Para Swimming championships. She won bronze in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay at the world championships in 2019, with Katarina Roxon, Aurélie Rivard, and Tess Routliffe.{{Cite web |last= |date=2019-09-15 |title=Roxon, Canadian relay shine on final day of Para-swimming worlds |url=https://paralympic.ca/news/roxon-canadian-relay-shine-final-day-para-swimming-worlds/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=Canadian Paralympic Committee |language=en-US}} This was Tripp's first medal at a world championship.{{Cite web |last=Borkowski |first=Pete |date=2019-09-15 |title=Canadians end World Para Swimming Championships with relay bronze |url=https://torontoobserver.ca/2019/09/15/canadians-end-world-para-swimming-championships-with-relay-bronze/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=The Toronto Observer |language=en-CA}} In 2019, she was named the Kiwanis Athlete of the Year.{{Cite news |last=McAlpine |first=Ian |date=2021-05-20 |title=Kingston's Abi Tripp heading to her second Paralympic Games |url=https://www.thewhig.com/sports/kingstons-abi-tripp-heading-to-her-second-paralympic-games |access-date=2024-08-05 |work=Kingston Whig Standard}}

Based on her performance in the final at the 2019 world championships, Tripp qualified to compete at the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games. At the Games was disqualified in the SB7 100-m breaststroke and the women’s 4×100-m medley. In the breaststroke, it was determined her kick was not legal, taking into consideration her cerebral palsy and dystonia.{{Cite news |last=MacAlpine |first=Ian |date=2021-09-01 |title=Kingston swimmer disqualified from breaststroke heat at Tokyo Paralympics |url=https://www.thewhig.com/sports/local-sports/kingston-swimmer-disqualified-from-breaststroke-heat-at-tokyo-paralympics |access-date=2024-08-05 |work=Kingston Whig Standard}}

In 2023, Tripp was elected to the Canadian Paralympic Athletes’ Council for a four-year term.{{Cite web |last= |date=2023-01-17 |title=Four Paralympians elected to Canadian Paralympic Athletes' Council |url=https://paralympic.ca/news/four-paralympians-elected-canadian-paralympic-athletes-council/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=Canadian Paralympic Committee |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=MacAlpine |first=Ian |date=2023-01-17 |title=Kingston's Abi Tripp to serve on Canadian Paralympic Council |url=https://www.thewhig.com/sports/local-sports/kingstons-abi-tripp-to-serve-on-canadian-paralympic-council |access-date=2024-08-05 |work=Kingston Whig Standard}} She won silver at the 2023 Para Swimming World Championships in the women's 100-metre breaststroke.{{Cite news |date=2023 |title=Tess Routliffe and Abi Tripp finish 1st and 2nd at the Para worlds |url=https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/1.6925546 |access-date=2024-08-05 |work=CBC}} Tripp was named to represent Canada at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.{{Cite web |last= |date=2024-05-20 |title=Team of 20 Para swimmers nominated to Paris 2024 Canadian Paralympic Team |url=https://paralympic.ca/news/team-20-para-swimmers-nominated-paris-2024-canadian-paralympic-team/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=Canadian Paralympic Committee |language=en-US}}