Prince Albert's Ali Diehl at the Canadian Swimming Trials in June 2025. (Scott Grant via Swim Sask/Facebook)

By Logan Lehmann

Repping the Maple Leaf

Ali Diehl named to Team Canada for World Para Swimming Championships, first P.A. swimmer to accomplish feat

Jun 14, 2025 | 8:00 AM

A local swimming sensation has made her biggest splash yet.

Prince Albert’s own Ali Diehl is off to Singapore in the fall to represent Team Canada at the World Para Swimming Championships.

It’s her first national team selection, and the first ever senior national team selection for the Prince Albert Sharks Swim Club, who called the moment not just a personal triumph, but a “watershed moment for the Prince Albert swimming community”.

“We are beyond words, just super proud,” said the Prince Albert Sharks in a release. “Remembering that little girl who joined us at seven, already showing such heart and talent… and now to see her representing Canada? It’s the stuff dreams are made of. Ali embodies the spirit of perseverance. We are bursting with hometown pride and will be cheering her on every stroke of the way in Singapore and beyond!”

The 16-year-old is one of 19 swimmers selected to the team, which consists of 11 female and eight male athletes. She’s one of two Saskatchewan swimmers, with the other being Shelby Newkirk from Saskatoon.

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Ali Diehl with her coach, Hazem Hussein. (Prince Albert Sharks Swim Club/submitted)

Diehl has been making some big waves over the last few years, both in and out of the pool.

In December 2022 at just 13 years old, she took home four gold medals from the Ken Demchuk International Para Swimming Championships, winning the 50-metre, 100-metre, and 400-metre Freestyle events, and the 200-meter individual medley.

In August 2023, she claimed two bronze medals at the Speedo Canadian Swimming Championships and just a few months later in December, followed that performance with a gold medal in both the 100-metre breaststroke and the 50-metre freestyle in her return to the Ken Demchuk swimming championships.

A year later in September 2024, Diehl was recognized by the City of Prince Albert with the annual Terry Fox Award, handed to a young Prince Albert resident who most embodies the traits and inspiration of the Canadian hero.

And earlier this year in April, she brought home quite a bit of hardware from the 2025 World Para Swimming Championship Series event in Indianapolis, capturing four medals including a gold (100m Breaststroke), silver (200m Individual Medley), and two bronze (Breaststroke Women’s Open, 50m Freestyle). She also took third overall at the event, which featured athletes from 23 different countries.

“I’m looking forward to working with each athlete, their personal coaches, and our staff as we continue building toward peak performance in Singapore. This tour is a great opportunity to further strengthen the culture and environment of our program,” said Team Canada Head Coach Ryan Allen in a Thursday release.

Diehl will travel to the championships with her coach and Prince Albert Sharks coach, Hazem Hussein. The World Para Swimming Championships take place from Sept. 21-27.

-with files from Prince Albert Sharks Swim Club, Swim Sask, and Swimming Canada

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com

On Bluesky: @loganlehmann.bsky.social