Coan To Swim This Week

Local Paralympian McKenzie Coan will take to the water for her first two events in Rio this week.

Opening ceremonies for the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janiero, Brazil are taking place today.

Coan will swim in her first two events on Thursday and Friday.

On Thursday, she will compete in the 100-meter backstroke event and then she will compete in the 50-meter freestyle competition on Friday.

Afternoon and evening events will be telecast via NBCSN.

McKenzie’s father, Dr. Marc Coan, practices internal medicine at the Toccoa Clinic.

He said that McKenzie’s experience in the Paralympics four years ago should help her this year.

“She made the U.S. Paralympic team that went to London four years ago,” said Dr. Coan. “She was 16 and the swims were hard to come by there. They had a predominantly veteran team, but McKenzie swam the 400 free and she made the finals and finished sixth in the world. That experience, I think, is really going to help her in Rio. I did not think how important that would be at the time, but I think the experience of being there, being on that stage and being at the height of Paralympic swimming will really serve her well in Rio.”

In all, McKenzie is scheduled to swim in five individual events in Rio.

Other than the 100-meter backstroke and the 50-meter freestyle, she is also slated to compete in the 100-meter freestyle, 400-meter freestyle, and 50-meter butterfly.

She could also be on relay teams.

Coan holds American Paralympic swimming records in the backstroke, butterfly and freestyle competitions and currently attends Loyola University in Maryland.

Meanwhile, the Toccoa Clinic’s “Memory Book Relay” continues as citizens in the region are signing it with good wishes for Coan.

For more information on that, call Deborah Gibby at 706-282-5234.