Chasing Success

“I told everyone, I’m going to swim and no one is going to take that away from me. I had an opportunity to chase success and also show people what others without vision can do.” - Matthew Cabraja    

By David Grossman

As a youngster, there was a time when Matthew Cabraja found out that, with the exception of his family, no one wanted to help him out.

Growing up for Cabraja was quite different than for most kids.

Born with a birth defect that resulted in him having no sight in his left eye, he received more troubling news at age nine.

After several surgeries at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, where he thought doctors would repair a detached retina in his other eye, Cabraja was informed that he would be blind. For him, a white cane would be his partner and ahead would be a huge challenge of dealing with life in a different way.

“My life changed for good.” he said. “It was a shock, a new reality and I was never going to have vision. It was starting a life all over again, re-adjusting and modifying my lifestyle.”

As a toddler, Cabraja remembers the time when he was scared of water. But he was fascinated by the swim success of his older sister. Thought “it was cool”, he liked the competition, adored his sibling, and got hooked on swimming.

His first swim club broke the news that they could not support him which forced his family to seek a club that was accomodating to swimmers with a disability. Disappointed and dejected , Cabraja persevered at finding ways to try sooth his distress. Things became promising when the welcome mat came from the COBRA Swim Club, an innovative and dynamic establishment.

Living in Woodbridge, it meant commuting to Brampton – eventually several days a week for practice and training. A challenge for him, but a huge commitment from his family in getting him to, and from, various pools. It was what Cabraja wanted – a place to help him learn, develop, and excel in a reputable high-performance program.

Four words quickly took over Cabraja’s life – you can do it.

“I wasn’t going to let my lack of eyesight take away my love for swimming,” he said. “I told everyone, I’m going to swim and no one is going to take that away from me. I had an opportunity to chase success and also show people what others without vision can do.”

Cabraja said it was like starting from ground zero.

“I started from nothing to rebuild my life and I was very lucky to have the support of my family, unlimited resources and people on my side,” said Cabraja. “I had no idea what I was getting in to but promised my coach that I wouldn’t give up, focus on hard work and bring him back some (championship) hardware.”

Ian Roopnarine, who has coached Cabraja since he was nine years old, had many discussions with his elite swimmer. They knew there would be peaks and valleys.

“(Cabraja) is exceptionally bright and I remember when he told me he wanted to race like his sister,” said Roopnarine, an assistant coach at COBRA. “To be honest, his approach, his effort, his performance, he’s made me look good.

“I find it amazing when a young kid talks like an adult with an ambition. He never backs away, determined to do well. I’ve never coached anyone like him and I’ve been doing this for 20 years.”

In 2019, at the World Para swim championships in London (England), Cabraja was disappointed with his overall performance, pointing to the jitters and genuine nervousness of only his second international event. His times peaked in training rather than the actual competition.

“It was an experience, a chance to get the feel of a major event and understand that I have to work even harder,” said the youngster, whose personality, attitude and maturity resembled a seasoned veteran. “So much happened to me in such a short period of time, I know I’ll be just fine.”        

Those who have seen Cabraja swim, conclude he has been on the rise ever since.

The two-time National team athlete was looking forward to the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. As a result of the world-wide coronavirus pandemic delaying the international spectacle, Cabraja, like others, understands the delay just creates more time for him to prepare.

“I hope that young people with disabilities understand that they can do things, just like I am,” he said. “You just have to find what you enjoy and work hard at being the best you can.”

Cabraja is the latest blind swimmer in Canada with high achievements. Vancouver’s Donovan Tildesley set world records in both the 800 and 1,500 freestyle events. He was also Canada’s flag bearer in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.

Cabraja won medals in 2018 at the Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championships in Cairns, Australia, and a year later he was clocked in a personal best time in both the 100 metre freestyle and the 200-metre medley for swimmers with a visual impairment. Later that year, at the Canadian swim trials in Toronto, Cabraja was on the podium again after winning a pair of multi-class medals and had personal best times in four events.

S11 is his category – the global classification for athletes with full visual impairment.

The best was yet to come. Cabraja isn’t just a talented swimmer, he’s a world record holder. In Montreal in 2019, Cabraja finished the 50-metre butterfly in a time of 30.65 seconds, a short course record for S11 athletes.

Consistently excelling in the high school classroom with academic honors, he’s showed interest in studying computer sciences in university. The career plan: working in the field of artificial intelligence and using his creative skills in cybroid technology.

Also a gifted musician, he plays the guitar entertaining swim teammates on excursions to events, with a variety of country melodies.

One more thing about Cabraja. With academics, music and swimming contributing to a large part of his time, he’s working on another goal. His plan is to create a fund, raise money and help a young person take swim lessons.

David Grossman is a veteran award-winning Journalist, Broadcaster with some of Canada’s major media, including the Toronto Star and SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN, and a Public Relations professional for 45+ years in Canadian sports and Government relations.