The 2013 Canada Games has gotten off to a fast start in Sherbrooke, Quebec. On the first day there were seven games records set and today that pace increased with 12 Canada Games records being broken.
Many of the young athletes that made significant breakthroughs at Canadian Senior Nationals less then a month ago are at the games representing their home provinces.
In the 50 breaststroke 16 year old Marie Laurence Godin of Team Quebec won the event in a time of 32.47, breaking Taylor Peterson‘s 2005 record of 32.76. In the men’s event the record was broken twice. In the morning Team Ontario’s David Riley qualified for the final in a time of 29.18 breaking Mathieu Bois‘ 2005 record of 29.52. In the finals Sergey Holson of Team BC won the event in a time of 28.95 breaking the time that Riley set in the prelims.
18 year old Sophie Marois of Team Quebec won the 200 butterfly in a time of 2:16.03, breaking the Michelle McPherson‘s 32 year old record of 2:16.13. Going into the night McPherson held two of three records that have stood since the 1981 games.
It was less then a month ago that 17 year old Evan White captured his first senior national championship title, collecting two in the 200 butterfly and 200 IM. The next week he went on to win the 100 butterfly, 200 IM and 400 IM at the Canadian Age Group Championships and today he took his first Canada Games title in the 200 butterfly in a time of 2:01.99 breaking the 1993 record of 2:03.61 set by Dino Verbrugge.
15 year old BC swimmer Emily Overholt, who won her first national championship title in the 200 butterfly in Pointe-Claire, took the women’s 400 IM in a time of 4:47.07, breaking the record of 4:50.12 which was set by Michelle McPherson in 1981.
Overholt’s teammate 17 year old Luke Reilly won the men’s event in a time of 4:24.26. Reilly broke Chad Murray‘s record of 4:27.19 set in 2001.
Team Ontario’s Victoria Chan had an excellent day breaking the 100 freestyle games record in both the prelims and the finals. In the morning Chan swam a 56.30 breaking Genevieve Saumur‘s 2005 record of 56.37 and in the final won the event in a time of 56.05.
17 year old Yuri Kisil of Team Alberta won the 100 freestyle in a time of 51.47, but his prelims swim was his most impressive of the day. Kisil qualified for the final in a time of 51.33 breaking 2004 Olympian Matt Rose‘s record of 51.53 set in 2001.
Rose is one of many Olympians that competed in this event in their youth. In fact three Olympic medalists competed at the Canada Games; Anne Ottenbrite (1981), Brent Hayden (2001) and Ryan Cochrane (2005).
In the 4 x 50 freestyle relay Team Ontario both the women’s and men’s events, breaking both records that had been set in 2001. The women won in a time of 1:44.70 while the men took the event in a time of 1:33.55.
The swimming events at the games also include Para-swimming and Special Olympics.
In the SOC events Cassidy Tran of Team Ontario won the women’s 50 breaststroke in a time of 51.36. Magnus Batara of Team BC won the men’s event in a time of 36.80 breaking Michael Heath‘s 2005 record of 37.38.
Miori Henault of Team Quebec won the women’s 100 freestyle in a time of 1:14.68. Elliot Moskowy of Team Alberta won the men’s event in a time of 1:04.30.
In the Para-swimming events Hannah Smith of Team Alberta won the women’s 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:34.60 while Tomas Swinkels of Team Nova Scotia won the men’s event in a time of 1:20.51.
Full results can be found here