Pan American Games medalist and World Championship semi-finalist Raben Dommann revealed on Tuesday that he suffered a stroke on January 31, detailing his recovery process in an Instagram post.
Dommann said the cause of the stroke was determined to be a congenital heart defect, and that he’ll be undergoing a surgical procedure to correct it within the next few months.
“In the meantime, my training is very limited to short, easy swims and bike sessions to not put any extra strain on my heart,” the Canadian wrote on Instagram. “I am seeing this challenge as an opportunity to focus on technique and recovery, and to spend more time with family and friends.”
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Dommann has plenty of international experience representing Canada, including making his World Championship debut in the pool last February at the 2024 Worlds in Doha, earning a semi-final appearance in the men’s 200 backstroke, finishing 16th.
He also competed at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju, placing 16th in the men’s 5km open water event.
The 24-year-old, who was born in South Africa and lived in Australia for three years before moving to Canada in 2010, has also represented Canada twice at the Pan American Games, including winning two bronze medals in 2023 as a member of the Canadian men’s 4×200 free and 4×100 medley relays.
At the 2019 Pan Am Games, Dommann placed 9th in the men’s 10km open water event.
He’s currently based out of Swimming Canada’s High Performance Centre in Vancouver, and set a lifetime best of 53.90 in the 100 back at the 2024 Canadian Championships, a swim that ranks him 7th all-time in Canada. He set his best time in the 200 back in 2023, clocking 1:58.64 at the 2023 Canadian Championship to rank 13th all-time in the nation.
Come back healthy and faster!
So happy you are and will be ok!
Good health, sir!
This explains his scratches at Westmont.
Very scary. Wishing him a full recovery and hope to see him get back to where he was before.