Aurelie Rivard’s dominance at the 2024 Paralympics continued on Thursday as she won her third medal in Paris and third straight gold in the women’s 400m freestyle (S10).

Rivard remained in the top three of the race through the first 200m, but then turned on the jets and cleared the pack by more than two seconds by the end of the race.

The 28-year-old topped the podium with a time of 4:29.20, while American Alexandra Truwit (4:31.39) and Hungary’s Bianka Pap (4:35.63) took silver and bronze.

“When I flipped at the 300-metre mark it was just about bringing it home,” Rivard told Swim Canada. “I worked on this so many times in training, always no matter what finishing strong, every single set, every single day. I just did what I knew. That’s what I trained for.”

Rivard qualified for the final with a time of 4:37.03 — second fastest behind Truwit.

The St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., native also won bronze in the women’s 50m freestyle and silver in the women’s 100m freestyle.

Thursday’s gold is Rivard’s sixth of her Paralympic career and 13th medal in four Games. She won two gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and three at Rio 2016.

Rivard, who holds the world and Paralympic record in the 400m freestyle, has also secured four silvers and three bronze medals to make her one of the most decorated Canadian Paralympians of all time.

Her time in Paris has certainly been rewarding, but the journey to get there was far from easy.

Rivard pulled out of the 400m freestyle mid-race at the 2022 world championships, and missed the event entirely a year later.

The quest for a fourth medal in Paris will come on Friday in the women’s 100m backstroke (S10) final. It will be Rivard’s final event in what has been an extraordinary dip in the pool at Paris 2024.