No Ryan? No problem.
Even with two-time Olympic-medallist Ryan Cochrane of Victoria recently retired, the Island has placed six swimmers on sa国际传媒鈥檚 32-member team for the 2017 world aquatics championships in July at Budapest.
The Islanders range from Olympic medallists Hilary Caldwell and Richard Weinberger to Olympian Stephanie Horner to Grade 12 Claremont student and unexpected sudden teen sensation Mackenzie Padington. Also named, after the Canadian trials concluded Sunday at Saanich Commonwealth Place, were Jeremy Bagshaw and Eric Hedlin.
It was the latter who kept the Canadian men鈥檚 1,500-metre freestyle title, previously dominated by Cochrane, on the Island. Hedlin, the University of Victoria male athlete of the year, won the championship in 15:08.35 Sunday at Saanich Commonwealth Place and comfortably under the FINA world championships qualifying standard of 15:12.79.
鈥淭his feels great to win 鈥� Ryan was never going to be taken down,鈥� said Hedlin.
Cochrane鈥檚 influence in the event was still felt with the Island sweep of the podium as Victorians Peter Brothers and Jon McKay were second and third in 15:35.23 and 15:38.39, respectively. Weinberger was seventh but not too concerned because at Budapest he will swim his 10K open-water speciality, in which he won Olympic bronze at London in 2012 and represented sa国际传媒 again last year in Rio.
Despite winning the Canadian 1,500 metres, the UVic/Pacific Coast Club鈥檚 Hedlin will bypass the event and instead contest his open-water 5K speciality at the 2017 FINA worlds.
鈥淭he podium in the 1,500 metres is full with a lot of big names 鈥� not even Ryan was able to get on it last time in Rio 鈥� and I have a good shot at the world gold medal in the 5K,鈥� said Hedlin, of his reasoning.
The UVic Vikes star has a point. He was the 5K open-water silver-medallist at the 2013 FINA world championships.
Meanwhile, the Island鈥檚 newest sports star continued making a splash. The breakout Claremont student Padington, virtually unknown before the weekend, dropped an astonishing 20 seconds off her previous best time in winning the women鈥檚 800-metre freestyle under the qualifying time and will swim both the 400 and 800 freestyle events at the world championships.
The Campbell River product鈥檚 8:31.68 in the 800 metres Sunday was the 10th fastest time in the world this year and well under the FINA world qualifying standard of 8:38.56.
鈥淚鈥檓 still riding that wave and I built off last night [when she came out of nowhere to win the 400-metre freestyle Saturday],鈥� said Padington.
鈥淪having 20 seconds . . . I still don鈥檛 believe it myself,鈥� said the emerging Island Swim Club star, who is headed in the fall to swim in the NCAA Big Ten Conference for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers.
鈥淚鈥檒l see how much more I can shave off this summer. I鈥檓 so excited to represent sa国际传媒. I couldn鈥檛 have done this without our Island Swim Club group, who really pushed me.鈥�
sa国际传媒 was allowed a few discretionary picks for the world championships and gave one to Bagshaw, the SMUS-grad who won the national men鈥檚 400-metre freestyle in his home pool but just over the FINA qualifying standard. Joining Bagshaw, Padington and open-water swimmers Hedlin, Weinberger and Horner in Budapest this summer will be Rio Olympics bronze-medallist Caldwell as the Island Club star stamped her ticket in both the women鈥檚 100- and 200-metre backstroke at the trials in her home pool.
Coach Ryan Mallette of the National High Performance Centre-Victoria will be assistant in Budapest to Canadian head coach Ben Titley of the National High Performance Centre-Toronto.
Hedlin, Weinberger and Horner are coached by Ron Jacks in Victoria. The Canadian open-water coach for the world championships will be Mark Perry.
There was a close call Sunday, meanwhile, for the Island Swim Club鈥檚 Sarah Darcel, who just missed out on the 2017 FINA worlds.
The Grade 12 Claremont student made the qualifying standard in the women鈥檚 200-metre IM but was third in the final and only two per country are allowed in the world championships. Sydney Pickrem, a dual citizen from Florida who competes for Island Swimming, lowered her own Canadian record by going 2:09.56. Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson of Ottawa was second in 2:10.97 and Darcel third in 2:12.51. All were under the FINA standard of 2:13.41.
鈥淭hese girls are so fast . . . it was an honour to race them,鈥� said a gracious Darcel, headed in the fall to swim in the NCAA Pac-12 with Cal-Berkeley.
But she noted this is just the start of the quadrennial and she has time.
鈥淚 see myself in Japan [2020 Tokyo Olympics] . . . that is the goal,鈥� said Darcel.
Darcel was named to the Canadian team for the 2017 World University Games in August at Taipei along with Hedlin, Bagshaw and Island Swimming鈥檚 Danielle Hanus.
Jade Hannah and Faith Knelson, both from coach Brad Dingey鈥檚 Island Swimming/Next Gen-Victoria group that also produced Padington, are headed to the 2017 FINA world junior swim championships in August at Indianapolis.
