The Victoria Academy of Swimming/Island Swimming, which has already produced two medals for sa国际传媒 at the 2013 FINA world aquatics championships, may be on the verge of a third.
Hilary Caldwell twice lowered the Canadian record in the women鈥檚 200-metre backstroke Friday, first in the preliminary qualifying round and then in the semifinals, to qualify second for today鈥檚 final behind Olympic champion Missy Franklin of the U.S.
Caldwell eclipsed Ontario swimmer Sinead Russell鈥檚 former national record of 2:08.04 by going 2:07.81 Friday morning to lop more than one second off her previous personal best. Caldwell then lowered her own Canadian record to 2:07.15 in the semifinals. Russell also qualified as the eighth swimmer for the final.
Victoria Academy/Island Swimming performers already have reached the podium twice at the 2013 worlds 鈥� Ryan Cochrane with the bronze medal in the men鈥檚 800-metre freestyle and Eric Hedlin with a breakout silver medal in the men鈥檚 open-water 5K.
White Rock native Caldwell鈥檚 emergence on the world scene coincided with her move to the Victoria Academy, which has contributed six swimmers to the Canadian team for the world championships.
鈥淚t just snowballed from there,鈥� said Caldwell, by phone from Barcelona, before her races.
鈥淲e have a great group of athletes [in Saanich Commonwealth Place] and we all push each other. It鈥檚 rolled through the next generation with [young Victoria Academy swimmers] Will Brothers and Eric Hedlin qualifying [for these world championships].鈥�
Caldwell, among seven Victoria Academy/Island Swimming athletes who swam in the 2012 London Summer Olympics, attributes a training trip to Arizona this year as being crucial for the group.
鈥淲e trained a lot at altitude in Flagstaff and that鈥檚 really helped,鈥� she said.
Whatever Caldwell did, it鈥檚 working. She was disappointed not to advance out of her Olympic qualifying race last year in London. Her rise from that to the world championship final in one year is nothing short of meteoric.
It鈥檚 even more amazing because Caldwell almost didn鈥檛 get to Barcelona after she failed to qualify in her specialty event, the 100-metre backstroke, and had to rally by qualifying in her lesser 200-metre backstroke event during the Canadian world championship trials held in her home Saanich Commonwealth pool in the spring.
鈥淚t鈥檚 my first international final,鈥� she said in a statement after her Friday heroics in the 200 backstroke.
鈥淚 assume it will be pretty similar to [Friday] and I know the girls will go. I know I can go with them. My time is kind of right in the mix now. I鈥檓 just excited to race.鈥�
In other Victoria Academy/Island Swimming results Friday at the worlds championships, Alexa Komarnycky placed 13th in the women鈥檚 800-metre freestyle and fellow Olympian Alec Page finished 12th with the Canadian men鈥檚 4x200-metre freestyle relay team.
Cochrane, two-time Olympic medallist in the men鈥檚 1,500-metre freestyle, swims his signature event today in the qualifying rounds with the final set for Sunday.
