Canadian backstroke specialist Ingrid Wilm was among the recipients of the John Currie Amateur Sports Legacy Fund on Thursday, an athlete bursary awarded to support high-level athletes training in Calgary.
Wilm was joined by fellow swimmers Payton Sheehan and Brandon Hachey in earning the award for their accomplishments in the pool, as they were recognized at the MNP John Currie Amateur Sport Legacy Bursary Awards on Thursday.
The fund plays a role in supporting high-performance athletes in Calgary, with a total of $13,000 awarded to 11 amateur athletes to help fund their training and competition needs in pursuit of their athletic goals.
The MNP John Currie Amateur Sport Legacy Bursary Awards were presented last night at the MNP Community & Sport Centre.
Ingrid Wilm, Payton Sheehan and Brandon Hachey were recognized by the John Currie Amateur Sport Legacy Fund for their accomplishments in the pool. pic.twitter.com/B7Fo3M1mkX
— Swim Alberta (@SwimAlberta) April 28, 2023
Wilm, 24, won four World Championship bronze medals in 2022, first earning one at the Long Course Championships in Budapest in the women’s 400 medley relay before adding three to her resume at Short Course Worlds in Melbourne, placing third in the women’s 100 back while adding two more relay medals.
A former U SPORTS standout at UBC, Wilm was a breakout star for the LA Current in the International Swimming League (ISL) in 2021, coming in as an undrafted free agent before leading the team in points among women and finishing 11th overall in league scoring.
After missing the Tokyo Olympic team in 2021, Wilm came back to place fourth individually in the women’s 50 back at the 2022 World Championships to go along with her relay bronze medal, and followed up by finishing eighth among women on the 2022 FINA World Cup Circuit (earning $24,100) prior to SC Worlds.
At the 2023 Canadian Swimming Trials in Toronto, Wilm won the women’s 100 back in a lifetime best of 58.80, earning a spot on the World Championship team, and was also the runner-up in the 50 back (27.59) and 200 back (2:10.19).
Sheehan is a teammate of Wilm’s at Cascade Swim Club, and also competes in triathlon, having earned a bronze medal in the mixed team relay representing Canada at the 2022 World Triathlon Sprint & Relay Championships in Montreal.
Hachey, who competes for Killarney Swim Club, is an up-and-coming breaststroker who finished fourth in the boys’ 100 breast and seventh in the 200 breast at the 2022 Canadian Championships in the 14-15 age group.