TORONTO 鈥� This one was for Randy Bennett, as they all are now.
Two-time Olympic medallist swimmer Ryan Cochrane of Victoria won his first major-Games medal since the death of his coach Bennett this year in Victoria to cancer at 51.
Cochrane didn鈥檛 even bother shaving his beard but still surged to victory in the men鈥檚 400-metre freestyle Friday at the 2015 Pan American Games in a Games record 3:48.29, destroying American Matt Patton鈥檚 previous record of 3:49.77 from the 2007 Rio Pan Am Games. Cochrane had touched and was looking back at the scoreboard before silver-medallist Ryan Feeley of the U.S. even finished in 3:49.69. Jeremy Bagshaw of Victoria was fifth in 3:50.55.
鈥淭he way Randy set up our work ethic was so that we could do anything, with or without him, and that was on purpose,鈥� said Cochrane.
鈥淲e can imagine him standing over us. And as Randy would say, there are always things to work on,鈥� added Cochrane, knowing this Pan Am Games competition was not of the highest calibre.
鈥淵ou fall back to the level of the competition. The world championships [later this summer in Kazan, Russia] are going to be exponentially tougher and I will need to be six seconds faster,鈥� noted the starry Islander.
This is the first time Cochrane has competed in the Pan Am Games, an event to which sa国际传媒 usually sends its 鈥淏鈥� teams. But because this is a home Games, sa国际传媒 is fielding its 鈥淎鈥� national teams in most sports. Cochrane is glad he came.
鈥淚t shakes you to your core how loud it is in here,鈥� said Cochrane, of the throaty, surprisingly passionate Maple Leaf-waving crowds that have packed the Pan Am Games pool located in Scarborough.
鈥淚 was shaking this morning [during qualifying] and I鈥檓 shaking tonight.鈥�
Cochrane is overwhelmingly favoured to win his second gold medal of the Toronto Games tonight in his specialty, the 1,500-metre freestyle.
He matched Friday the Pan Am Games gold won by Saanich Commonwealth Place training partner Hilary Caldwell in the women鈥檚 200-metre backstroke earlier in the week. Cochrane began the Games competition by winning bronze, with fellow Victorians Alec Page and Bagshaw, in the 4x200 freestyle relay. Caldwell, meanwhile, was fifth Friday in the women鈥檚 100-metre backstroke.
Cochrane鈥檚 performance brought to 15 medals, including 11 golds, won in events across several sports featuring Island-based athletes over the first seven days of competition in the Games.
Elsewhere, sa国际传媒 punctuated the first week of competition at the Pan American Games by reaching, then surpassing the 100-medal mark on Friday.
Canadian swimmer Emily Overholt helped with that.
The West Vancouver native made the most of her last chance to get a medal at the Pan Am Games after being disqualified from the women鈥檚 400-metre individual medley the previous evening for a turn violation and being stripped of first place.
The 17-year-old Overholt took gold in the 400-metre freestyle on Friday in a Pan Am record time of four minutes, 8.42 seconds. Venezuela鈥檚 Andreina Pinto earned silver in 4:08.67 while American Gillian Ryan placed third in 4:09.46.
