Swimming star Penny Oleksiak has had a tough time since becoming the first Canadian to win Olympic gold since Mark Tewksbury back at 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. Plagued by a shoulder injury, she’s measuring success one step at a time. With 2017 Canadian World Championship Trials underway, it appears Penny is well on her way back to top form. Penny was, of course, one of the biggest surprises of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, upsetting the Campbell sisters for Olympic gold in the 100 meter freestyle (along with Simone Manuel), but, according to Penny, life has not changed much.
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This is a Gold Medal Media production presented by SwimOutlet.com. Host Gold Medal Mel Stewart is a 3-time Olympic medalist and the co-founder of SwimSwam.com, a Swimming News website.
Penny is such a delight! She’s even got the Katie Ledecky “aw shucks” shrug down pat (at 2:35 in the video).
I wish her success at Worlds.
Off-topic question: does Canada have a lot of older (pre-1975) 25 yard pools? Or are most short course venues 25 meters? I’m curious if Penny could break 46.5 (or 45.5) in the 100 yds. Or if that will be a race that will never happen for her.
The vast majority of short course pools in Canada are 25 metres.
It will be a race that never happens for her. There are some non-25m and 50m pools but nothing a sanctioned competition would be held in.
I coached in Toronto for 8 seasons. Most of the school pools are 25yds (close to 40% depending on the district/borough) but it is not a swim Canada sanctioned distance as far as I know. As for the rest of Canada I think some of the larger cities are in the same boat. Here in Montreal where I coach now I have yet to come across a yards pool but I know of several but again, not a sanctioned distance
Yard swimming is really only done officially in the United States, and the records aren’t counted by FINA. The only way she would race in a 25 yard pool is if she goes to University in the states.