Of the more than 50 Island-based athletes expected to compete for sa国际传媒 in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, only Eric Hedlin and Stephanie Horner will have to avoid sharks and navigate tidal currents to get there.
The Victoria pair were named sa国际传媒鈥檚 male and female open-water swimmers of the year Friday, and local coach Ron Jacks the national open-water top men鈥檚 coach.
Swimming sa国际传媒 will announce its pool swimmers of the year next week.
Hedlin follows the Canadian distance success of other Victoria swimmers such as two-time Olympic medallist Ryan Cochrane in the 1,500 metres and 2012 London Olympics open-water 10K bronze-medallist Richard Weinberger.
鈥淸They] set a high bar and I got tremendous inspiration [from them], and now it鈥檚 great to have my turn in the spotlight,鈥� said Hedlin.
While Cochrane swam the 1,500 metres, the longest pool distance, in the controlled environment of a pool, Hedlin has the elements to deal with in open water, as did Weinberger before him.
鈥淚 love open water. You have to be prepared for anything, from shark scares to massive currents,鈥� said Hedlin.
Hedlin has followed Cochrane as the Canadian 1,500 metre champion in the pool but his Olympic dreams are in open water after winning the silver medal in the 5K at the 2013 FINA world championships in Barcelona and the silver medal in the Olympic-distance 10K this year at the 2018 Pan Pacific championships in Tokyo. The goal is to return to Tokyo for the Olympics in 2020. The first chance comes in the 2019 FINA world championships, out of which the top-10 finishers in the 10K will qualify for the Olympics. The rest of the 25-swimmer men鈥檚 field for the Olympic 10K will be filled out in subsequent repechage qualifiers.
The veteran Horner, who trains at Saanich Commonwealth Place with Hedlin, is eyeing her fourth Olympic Games at Tokyo after competing for sa国际传媒 in the pool at Beijing 2008 and London 2012 and in open water at Rio 2016. Four-time Olympians are rarities and it would be quite an accomplishment.
鈥淚鈥檝e been to three Olympics and a fourth is one of my goals and something I want to get to,鈥� said Horner.
鈥淚t can happen if you believe and want it. Qualifying for 2020 would be unreal, but I have to take it step by step. Getting this national award is motivating and makes you want to keep going.鈥�
Horner was eighth in the women鈥檚 10K at the Pan Pacific championships: 鈥淗aving raced in Japan this summer at the Pan Pacifics was a great sneak peek to Tokyo 2020.鈥�
Horner just chuckled when asked about the perceived perils of open-water swimming: 鈥淚鈥檓 more aware of the pack than I am of sharks. I am more focused on my race than I am looking out for sea creatures.鈥�
