Pull up your socks gentlemen, as incongruous as that might seem while wearing Speedos.
sa国际传媒 won a breakout six medals at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. They were all won by women, including four by teen sensation Penny Oleksiak of Toronto and one by Hilary Caldwell of Victoria.
鈥淭here is so much focus right now on the Canadian women in the pool,鈥� said Caldwell, who will have home-pool advantage beginning today at Saanich Commonwealth Place, in the Canadian trials for the 2017 FINA world aquatics championships.
鈥淥ur women鈥檚 swimmers have normalized winning. We need the guys to step up.鈥�
That is easier said than done. Even the women鈥檚 success at Rio, while seemingly overnight, was after a long and slow climb by Canadian swimming.
鈥淩yan [Cochrane] carried it for so many years,鈥� said Caldwell, referring to the two-time Olympic medallist and her now-retired Victoria clubmate.
鈥淐anadian swimming won no Olympic medals at Athens in 2004 and only Ryan鈥檚 [bronze] at Beijing in 2008.鈥�
There were only two Canadian Olymipc medals in the pool at London 2012, including Cochrane鈥檚 silver, abetted by Victoria open-water swimmer Richard Weinberger鈥檚 bronze.
Then came Rio and everything changed, thanks to a young group of emerging Canadian women.
鈥淸The 16-year-old Oleksiak] is truly a star who people recognize. Canadians love her,鈥� said Caldwell.
鈥淪he has brought so many kids to the pool [new registrations]. That鈥檚 good for all of Canadian swimming. Before, it was all on Ryan [Cochrane]. We have a lot more stars now.鈥�
They are mostly female and they are young. At 25, Caldwell feels like a senior citizen among this group.
鈥淭hese girls are all 16-17 and I鈥檓 an old lady who got my first Olympic medal at 25. I鈥檓 definitely a late bloomer,鈥� quipped Caldwell.
鈥淏ut I鈥檓 not done yet.鈥�
Far from it, as Caldwell has clocked the fastest female time in the world so far this year in her 200-metre backstroke speciality.
鈥淭hat was important to tell the rest of the world field that I鈥檓 still here. It鈥檚 good to start intimidating the opposition early in the year.鈥�
Caldwell admitted, however, the post-Cochrane era at Saanich Commonwealth Place has taken some getting used to.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been hard . . . taken some adjustment . . . because we all looked up to Ryan for inspiration,鈥� she said.
鈥淥ur Victoria group, and the whole national team, lost our leader.鈥�
Now it鈥檚 time for a new generation, which came on so gloriously unexpected at Rio. At least on the women鈥檚 side.
鈥淥ur women won鈥檛 catch anybody in the world by surprise now, that鈥檚 for sure,鈥� said Ryan Mallette, who coaches the Victoria high performance centre swimmers, which includes Caldwell and included Cochrane.
鈥淥n the men鈥檚 side, we are seeing a generational shift after Ryan.鈥�
That leadership mantle is now wide open for the taking.
鈥淎 guy like [Victoria鈥檚 Jeremy Bagshaw] has a great opportunity,鈥� said Mallette.
There are 401 of the best swimmers in the country at the trials to select the Canadian team for the 2017 FINA world aquatics championships in July in Budapest. It is the first major international meet since the Rio Olympics. The national trials run today to Sunday at Saanich Commonwealth Place with the qualifying races beginning at 10 a.m. each morning and the finals at 6 p.m. each evening. Tickets are $5 for the morning sessions and $10 for the evening finals. A full meet pass is $40.
