HIGH ACHIEVERS: Wheelchair fencer Trinity Lowthian viewing her sport from ‘a different perspective’

By Martin Cleary

Wheelchair fencer Trinity Lowthian is expanding her horizons, when it comes to understanding and being involved in her Paralympic sport.

One of the world’s top category B epée fencers, the Ottawa Fencing athlete has happily doubled the workload in her discipline by accepting an eight-month internship with the Canadian Paralympic Committee.

Lowthian, 23, is into the fourth month of her internship working with the CPC’s athlete services and engagement team.

“It’s definitely a different perspective,” she said in a phone interview on Thursday.

Last winter, Lowthian applied for one of the two Canadian Paralympic Committee internship program jobs, which are designed to help active athletes “build skills and experiences towards their post-athlete careers,” according to a CPC press release.

Para hockey player Dominic Cozzolino of Mississauga received the other internship and joined the Committee’s partnership team.

Pfizer Canada, which has been the CPC’s longest-standing partner since 1996, sponsored the two internship positions to “provide the athletes with valuable career development opportunities, while they continue to pursue excellence in their sports.”

The timing was just right for Lowthian when she saw the ad for the committee’s internship program on the Sport Information Resource Centre website.

“I had finished my undergrad and had no plans,” added Lowthian, who earned a BSc nutrition degree from the University of Ottawa. “It was perfect. It’s an area of interest of mine.”

In September, she plans to return to the University of Ottawa to begin her one-year master’s degree program in sports administration.

Besides earning a degree in nutrition, Lowthian also has “a little bit of interest” in sports administration.

“It’s on the periphery of my brain. I saw the ad. It was great, a cool idea. The timing really worked out,” she continued.

At the moment, Lowthian is building a database of the current and past Paralympians. This will allow the CPC to reach out to the best athletes for its various engagements.

She also is helping to plan what services could be available to Canadian athletes at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Milano-Cortina, Italy, which open March 6.

“I really have enjoyed it. It’s an amazing team. And it’s nice to be immersed in this environment. It’s good to understand what goes on behind the scenes,” Lowthian continued.

François Robert, the Canadian Paralympic Committee’s chief commercial officer, is proud Pfizer Canada has remained a loyal and meaningful supporter of the athletes.

“By investing in the professional development of Canadian Para athletes, we are not only preparing them for their own future success, but also strengthening the Canadian sport system as a whole,” Robert said in the release.

Lowthian added her sport philosophy also matches that of Pfizer Canada.

“It means so much that Pfizer Canada is supporting Paralympic athletes in building well-rounded careers,” Lowthian said in the release. “Their values align so closely with mine and with the Canadian Paralympic Committee, especially the value of joy.

“It’s empowering to be part of a program that recognizes how important it is to gain real-world experience, while continuing to compete at an elite level.”

While Lowthian dedicates her workday to her internship, she continues to use her free time to train regularly with Ottawa Fencing.

After making an outstanding debut at the Paralympic Summer Games in Paris last year, she will only have two competitions this year. And she’s good with that, especially after earning her first World Cup medal in February.

After winning her pool with six consecutive victories, Lowthian received a bye in the round of 16 and defeated Panadda Srithong of Thailand 15-11 in the quarterfinals. But she lost 15-4 to Kristina Fiaklistava, who carries the Neutral Paralympic Athlete designation after her name.

The semifinal loss earned Lowthian a bronze medal.

“It was very exciting,” Lowthian recalled from her World Cup meet in São Paulo, Brazil, almost five months ago. “I definitely didn’t expect it. I didn’t train that much. I was expecting to be out after the pool (matches). Then, I win the pool. Okay, take it and roll with this.

“By the end, I was very tired. I had fun. I went in with no expectations. It worked.”

Lowthian, who had her autonomic nervous system compromised in 2018 and rebounded to start wheelchair fencing in 2022, heads into the world championships ranked seventh in the globe. The worlds are Sept. 2-7 in Iksan, South Korea.

“It’s always a toss up. It’s hard to predict. I’ll do my best, put out my best and see what happens,” stated Lowthian, who has plugged into two other Paralympic sports for her enjoyment – wheelchair tennis and hand cycling.

“It’s nice after Paris the results don’t qualify us for anything,” she added. “It’s nice to take it easier. I don’t have to make any big decisions yet.”