Benoît was born on January 24, 1984 and grew up in St-Hubert, on the south shore of Montreal with his parents, Gilles & Lucie, and his older sister, Genevieve. Despite his disability, his parents enrolled him in various activities (skating, karate, baseball, etc). At the age of eight, Benoît discovered swimming and started training seriously. In 1998, at the Canadian Championships in Sherbrooke, he qualified to join the National Swim Team for athletes with a disability. From that time, his life took a dramatic turn as he made his international competitive debut that year at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships in New Zealand, winning two gold medals and four silver medals. He has had an outstanding international career since then, going on to sett three world records in the pool while winning numerous championship medals, including eight gold, four silver, and four bronze over three Paralympic Games.
Out of the water, Benoît received his secondary school diploma at the School of Mortagne in Boucherville in the Sport-study program before continuing his studies at Cegep Edouard-Montpetit. Benoît is now pursuing his studies at the Université du Québec à Montréal in Communications. Between his studies, his training and competitions, Benoît gives lectures to schools & businesses and offers his time to various causes.
