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In the truncated span of sports careers, Hilary Caldwell and Jeremy Bagshaw can be termed mid-to-late career at 26 and 25, respectively, and Mackenzie Padington in early career at 18.
The three Victoria High Performance Swim Centre athletes, based at Saanich Commonwealth Place, run the range as pool swimming begins today in the 2017 FINA world aquatics championships in Budapest, Hungary, with Bagshaw and Padington in the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 400-metre freestyles, respectively, and Caldwell starting in the women鈥檚 100-metre backstroke Monday.
It鈥檚 odd to be thought of as the old lady at 26, but that is the position Caldwell has been put in on a youthful Canadian team.
Of the six Canadian swimming medals at the 2016 Rio Olympics, a breakthrough in itself and all on the female side, five came from young, breakout swimmers, with Caldwell scoring the lone medal for a veteran with bronze in the 200-metre backstroke.
鈥淲e have a young team, but this is my third world championships and I know what to expect, and have confidence I can perform well,鈥� said Caldwell, who was bronze medallist in the 200-metres backstroke at the 2013 world championships.
鈥淭here is nothing unexpected that will get to me. And I鈥檓 always there for rookies if they need [advice].鈥�
This is the first major international meet for the Canadian team in the post-Ryan Cochrane era, as the two-time Olympic medallist from Victoria has retired. The face of the national team is now teenage sensation Penny Oleksiak of Toronto, who seemingly came out of nowhere at the 2016 Rio Olympics to win four medals, including a gold.
鈥淚 will be able to find out how fast I am. I am excited to see what I and the team can do,鈥� said Oleksiak, who was treated with adulation from fans during the Canadian trials at Saanich Commonwealth Place in April.
鈥淚鈥檓 still nervous and don鈥檛 know what to expect. People will now always have expectations of me. I don鈥檛 pay attention, so I don鈥檛 care about other people鈥檚 expectations.鈥�
Cochrane, who almost singlehandedly kept Canadian swimming afloat through some lean times, still casts as a shadow over the team in Budapest.
鈥淚 took away a lot from so many years of training with Ryan in Victoria,鈥� Caldwell said. 鈥淩yan鈥檚 mental stamina was impressive. He was so focused and engaged. He had poise under pressure and I try to emulate that.鈥�
Caldwell races her 200-metre specialty on Friday while Bagshaw has the men鈥檚 4x200-metre freestyle relay the same day and Padington competes in the women鈥檚 800-metre freestyle on Saturday.
Padington graduated from Claremont Secondary in June and is headed this fall to the NCAA Big Ten to swim for the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers. She was considered the surprise performer of April鈥檚 Canadian trials in her home pool.
鈥淚鈥檓 not shocked anymore,鈥� Padington said of being at the world championships.
鈥淭he stress level has gone down because I have been using other people鈥檚 experiences, such as Hilary鈥檚. This is my first big senior team and I still have three years to perfect things for 2020 [Tokyo Summer Olympics].鈥�
Padington made the move down-Island, to the Victoria High Performance Centre, in 2015 from her home Campbell River Killer Whales club.
鈥淚 have so much support from everyone back home in my old swim club,鈥� Padington said.
鈥淚 know they will always be there for me.鈥�
Even in faraway Budapest.
