The inspirational power of role models was on subtle yet telling display Sunday evening during a moment on the pool deck of Saanich Commonwealth Place. Youthful Victoria club-level swimmers Pru Feeney and Ivanna Wu, volunteers working the medal ceremonies, got Penny Oleksiak to sign their T-shirts.
“I have watched Penny since I was little and this is so thrilling to meet her,” said Feeney. Added Wu: “I have loved watching Penny since Rio in 2016 and this is amazing.”
Oleksiak, sa国际传媒’s most decorated Olympian with seven medals, was competing in the Bell Canadian trials for the FINA world championships at Budapest in June and the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games in July.
But it was Oleksiak’s heir apparent, 15-year-old teen prodigy Summer McIntosh, who was named female athlete of the meet with four championships as McIntosh staked her claim to join sa国际传媒’s Golden Generation of female swimmers, who accounted for 12 medals over the last two Olympics, six at Tokyo and six at Rio.
The Canadian men, however, have not won an Olympic pool medal since Ryan Cochrane of Victoria and Brent Hayden of Mission in 2012 at London. Joshua Liendo is aiming to change that at Paris 2024 as the rising 19-year-old was named male swimmer of the trials for his three gold medals.
“It’s been a good meet and I learned a lot of things I will bring back with me to training for this summer and beyond,” he said.
The trials included qualifying for the world Para championships in June in Portugal with Tokyo Paralympian Nicholas Bennett of Parksville setting four Canadian records and being named to the worlds team.
The trials included 552 swimmers from 131 clubs and concluded Sunday evening in Saanich. A total of 32 swimmers, 18 females and 14 males, qualified to represent sa国际传媒 in the FINA world championships in Budapest and 23 for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Many of the qualifiers will do the double this summer.
“It will be a challenge with two big international meets but I’m really looking forward to getting the national team together,” said four-time Olympic medallist Kylie Masse.
