Prince Albert's Ali Diehl was named Saskatchewan's 2025 Youth Female Athlete of the Year and Swimming Canada's 2025 Breakout Swimmer of the Year for their Paralympic Program. (Image Credit: Swim Sask/Facebook)

By Logan Lehmann

A pretty big Diehl

PA swimmer earns top honours on provincial and national levels

Jan 30, 2026 | 4:00 PM

A Prince Albert Sharks swimmer has been recognized for the massive waves she’s made over the last year. 

Earlier this week, Ali Diehl received two of the highest honours in Saskatchewan sports and in Canadian swimming, being named Saskatchewan’s Youth Female Athlete of the Year and Swimming Canada’s Breakout Swimmer of the Year for their Paralympic Program. 

“It feels amazing. I didn’t even know that was a possibility. My mom told me and I was like, ‘What?’” Diehl said with a laugh during an interview with Swimming Canada.  

The 17-year-old made headlines at the World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore back in September, when the then 16-year-old was the youngest member of Team Canada and finished fourth in the women’s SB9 100-metre breaststroke event. She shaved off more than two seconds from her previous personal best with a final time of 1:21.05, just 78-hundreths of a second behind third place. 

“It was definitely nerve-wracking and scary. I just tried to put myself in the moment and understand why I’m there. Think about all the effort and hard work I put in just to get there. That really helped me stay in the race and just enjoy it.” 

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“It was so exciting and I was honestly just thrilled with that time. I wasn’t expecting that time.” 

While at the World Championships, she also helped Canada to a fifth-place finish in the mixed 4×100 medley relay with a final time of 4:50.00.  

In order to get to Singapore, Diehl had to qualify for a spot at a 2025 Para Swimming World Series event in Indianapolis, USA, in April, where she did a lot more than just qualify. On top of securing a seat at the World Para Swimming Championships, she captured four medals at the meet 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. 

“What impresses me the most about her is her desire to win by putting everything in the pool,” said Diehl’s coach Hazem Hussein. 

The Prince Albert Sharks coach was also ecstatic about her performance in Indianapolis and Singapore, both of which were her first times on the World Stage. 

“I was beaming, not only because of her excellent results but also because of her dedication and devotion.” 

“Ali had an injury at the Canada Games and, despite the injury, she broke the Games 100 breast SB9 record. She recovered and, with iron desire, travelled with Team Canada to participate in the world championships and came fourth, significantly dropping her time in 100 breast. Her time in the relay might have put her on the (individual) podium.” 

Following her breakthrough year, Diehl said she’s going to work even harder in 2026 as she gears up for her first Paralympic Games in 2028. 

– with files from Swimming Canada and Saskatchewan Sport Awards

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com