2023 CANADIAN SWIMMING TRIALS
- March 28 – April 2, 2023
- Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre – Toronto, Ontario
- TPASC
- Long Course Meters
- Meet Central
- Psych Sheets
- Live Results
- Live Stream
- Day 1 Prelim Heat Sheets
En route to a fourth-place seed heading into day 1 finals, Aiden Norman of the University of Calgary Swim Club posted a 55.23 100 backstroke. That time makes him the second-fastest 15-17-year-old boy in Canadian history, behind Cole Pratt‘s 54.63 from the 2019 World Junior Championships.
This prelim swim by Norman was a significant improvement for him, getting under 56 seconds for the first time and bringing him up from the #7 time in the age group to the #2 spot. He beat Javier Acevedo‘s former mark of 55.24 by just 0.01 seconds.
All-time 15 – 17 Boys Canadian 100 Backstroke Rankings
- Cole Pratt – 54.63 (2019)
- Aiden Norman – 55.23 (2023)
- Javier Acevedo – 55.24 (2015)
- Markus Thormeyer – 55.26 (2015)
- Tyler Wall – 55.91 (2019)
- Sebastian Somerset – 55.99 (2018)
- Loic Courville Fortin – 56.00 (2022)
- Omar Mahmoud Arafa – 56.12 (2011)
Norman’s former time comes from a few weeks ago at the Western Canadian Championships when he swam a 56.07 during prelims before hitting a 56.08 in finals.
Coming into the 2022 – 2023 season, Norman’s best time was the 56.48 that he delivered at the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Championships. He has already swum under that time five times this month, hitting a 56.47 at the Fort Lauderdale Pro Swim Series, and then a 56.44, 56.08, and 56.07 at Westerns.
Norman is the 4th seed in the final tonight and will be in the mix for a podium finish. The FINA A cut in this event is a 54.03, which is a bit more than a second faster than Norman’s new PB. The top qualifer out of prelims was Blake Tierney who hit a 54.74, followed by Javier Acevedo‘s 54.85 and Raben Dommann‘s 55.15. If Norman doesn’t qualify for Worlds by hitting the FINA A cut and placing within the top two, Norman could get a nod for the World Junior Championships squad. 2023 World Juniors will take place in Netanya, Israel in September.