Markus Thormeyer Wins 4th Event of 2019 Canadian Trials

2019 CANADIAN SWIMMING TRIALS

• April 3-7, 2019
• Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, Toronto, ON
• LCM (50m)
• Prelims/Finals: 9:30 am / 6:00 pm ET
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Stream (Rectectv)
• Live Stream (CBC Sports)
• Day 4 Finals Recap

It’s true that the current generation of Canadian men, to this point, haven’t matched the success internationally as their female peers. But, just as the Canadian women started to show signs of big progress thanks to Emily Overholt’s 400 IM bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships, Canadian backstroker Markus Thormeyer might be the leading-edge for a big breakthrough for the men as well.

Thormeyer won his 4th event of the 2019 Canadian Swimming Trials on Saturday when he touched 1st in the 200 free in a new personal best of 1:47.60. When added with wins in the 100 free (48.76), 100 back (53.35 – Canadian Record), and 1:57.42, he became the first Canadian male to win that race combination at any Canadian Trials meet.

At only 21-years old, the UBC Thunderbird 3rd-year is on the cusp of international greatness already. He’s now broken 2 Canadian Records this season: including the 200 short course meter backstroke in November at a mid-season collegiate meet when he swam 1:52.12. He’s got the size (6’4″)

He still needs to drop some time to wind up with a podium-worthy result this summer in Gwangju, but he’s put a small light in the window of what could be for the Tokyo men.

The team is assembling around him with enough young talent to make the wave feel similarly. If Yuri Kisil and Javier Acevedo can recapture their form, and some of the other young talent like William Pisani and Carson Olafson and Cole Pratt and Alexander Pratt and Josh Liendo can put their best races together at the right moment, the pieces are there for a statement meet in Tokyo.

That level of success is still a long way and a lot of ‘ifs’ away, but if nothing else, Thormeyer’s swims *feel* like they bring a level of optimism to the men’s team that has felt lacking in the shadow of the women’s climb. In swimming, often optimism and a little momentum to get the ball rolling downhill is all it takes. And if Thormeyer doubts the power of his swims, all he has to do is look across the pool at UBC, where Overholt, who put a big, foreshadowing crack in the dam for the women.