| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | October 19, 1988 Vancouver, Canada | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Paralympic swimming | ||||||||||||||
| Disability class | S3 | ||||||||||||||
| Club | Saskatoon Lasers | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Nikita Ens (born October 19, 1988) is a Canadian Paralympic swimmer who competes in international swimming competitions. She is a World silver medallist and has competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. [1] [2]
Nikita Ens was born in 1988 to parents Rod and Monica Ens. She attended Carpenter High School and was a high school provincial champion in shot put in 2006. [3] [4] In 2010, she graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a bachelor of science in biology. She is pursuing a master’s degree in theological studies. [5]
After becoming paralyzed, Ens trained in track and field with the Saskatoon Cyclones. She was a medallist at the Canadian nationals. [5] She made the standards for the Rio 2016 Paralympics but did not compete. [6]
Ens began para-swimming in 2017 and joined the Saskatoon Lasers Swim Club, training under Eric Kramer. [6] [7] She made her major international debut at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships, where she competed in the 100-metre freestyle S3, the 50-metre freestyle S4, the 50-metre backstroke S3, and the 150-metre individual medley SM4. [8] Going into Worlds, she held the Canadian records in S3 100-metre freestyle and 50-metre backstroke. [7] She broke her record for the 100-metre freestyle S3 and qualified for two finals. [6]
In June 2021, she competed in a para swimming World Series event in Germany, setting new personal best times in the 100-metre breaststroke SB2 and 200-metre freestyle S3. [6] She made her Paralympic debut at the Tokyo Paralympics. She posted personal bests in all her races, but finished ninth in her heats the 50-metre backstroke S3 and the 100m freestyle S3 events, failing to post a top eight time to qualify for the finals. [5]
She won a silver medal in the women's 200-metre freestyle S3 at the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships. [3] At the 2023 World Para Swimming Championships, Ens placed fifth in the women's 200-metre freestyle S3 and in the 50-metre backstroke SB2. [9] She will represent Canada at the 2024 Paralympic Games. [4]
Ens became a C5 paraplegic in February 2014 following a car crash with an impaired driver near Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. [10] [11]
