Canadian Swimming Championships Begin Thursday at Pointe-Claire

MONTREAL – The Canadian Swimming Championships, a high-echelon meet where Olympians compete side-by-side with promising swimmers with world-class potential, take place from Thursday through Sunday at the Pointe-Claire Aquatic Centre.

Some 470 athletes from 110 clubs from all 10 provinces across Canada, along with international competitors from France, Ireland and the United States, will be taking part in this country’s senior national championship meet. The field includes 10 members of Canada’s Pan Am Games team, which had resounding success in July, as well as 2012 Olympians Samantha Cheverton, Barbara Jardin and Tera van Beilen. Jardin, who hails from the Montreal area, is on the comeback trial after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in September 2014.

Several younger athletes who are fresh off impressive performances last weekend at the Canadian Age Group Championships in Quebec City will test themselves against senior swimmers.

Along with van Beilen, Pan Am Games team members Coleman Allen, Alexander Loginov, Kier Maitland, Stefan Milosevic, Alec Page, Luke Reilly, Erica Seltenreich-Hodgson, Markus Thormeyer and Evan White are entered.

Van Beilen is returning to the city where she qualified for the London Olympics. The 22-year-old who is swimming for the UBC Dolphins is seeded first for Thursday’s women’s 200-metre breaststroke and Friday’s 100-m breaststroke. Ashley McGregor, of the host Pointe-Claire Swim Club, enters with the second-fastest seed time in the 200.

The opening night schedule also includes a diverse women’s 200-m freestyle field that includes London 2012 veterans Cheverton and Jardin and three of the country’s brightest 15-year-old pool talents: Montreal-based Mary-Sophie Harvey, Penny Oleksiak and Molly Gowans. Gowans, of Victoria, B.C., was a high point award at the Canadian Age Group Championships after dominating her division.

Seltenreich-Hodgson and hometown favourite Harvey also have the fastest seed times for Friday’s women’s 400-m individual medley. Rielly and Page are seeded 1-2 in men’s 400-m IM. White and Reilly have the two fastest times for men’s 200-m IM, which is on Sunday.

Thormeyer, of the Winskill Dolphins Swim Club, could face a couple showdowns with fellow 17-year-old Javier Acevedo. Thormeyer has the fastest seed time for Thursday’s men’s 100-m backstroke. Acevedo, Thormeyer and 19-year-old Mirando Jarry from CAMO Natation have the three fastest qualifying times entering Friday’s men’s 100-m freestyle.

Oleksiak has the fastest women’s 100-m freestyle qualifying time, but Caroline Lapierre-Lemire of the host Pointe-Claire club is second. Oleksiak, of Toronto Swim Club, also enters Saturday’s women’s 100-m butterfly with the second-fast seed time behind 19-year-old Jacomie Strydom.

Sixteen-year-old Olivia Anderson of Etobicoke Swimming Club, who had a 400-800-1,500-m freestyle hat trick at the Canadian Age Group Championships, has the fastest qualifying time in women’s 1,500-m freestyle. Anderson and Gowans each possess podium potential in Sunday’s women’s 800-m freestyle.

For a schedule and more information, click here.

Swimming news courtesy of Swimming Canada.