The University of Lethbridge can claim another Olympic athlete after Swimming Canada announced that first-year Horns swimmer Zack McAllister will be one of 24 athletes that will represent Canada at the 2012 London Paralympic Games.

"We are thrilled that Zack will be a part of Canada's Paralympic Team," says Brad Mori, the head coach of the Horns swimming program. "In our 75-year history, Zack is the first Lethbridge swimmer to qualify for the Olympic or Paralympic Games."

McAllister joins Horns alumnus Jim Steacy and his sister Heather Steacy as Horns athletes headed to London. The Steacys (who have reached qualifying marks but have not yet been officially named to the team) will compete in the men's and women's hammer throw competitions at the Olympic Games beginning July 27. The Paralympic Games begin a month later, Aug. 29.

"It was a long road for Zack to get to this moment," says Mori. "He faced a tough re-classification process and it seemed like this moment was never going to happen."

McAllister represented Canada at the Para Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico in fall 2011 before returning to Lethbridge for his first-year classes at the U of L. In the winter, he swam at events in Los Angeles, Colorado, Montreal and Sheffield, England. This spring, McAllister was in Flagstaff, AZ, for a two-week high altitude camp.

McAllister is currently ranked fifth in the world in the 400-metre freestyle in his classification category.

"It sends adrenaline shivers down my spine thinking about Zack going off to London," says Mori.