Upon the conclusion of last weekend’s Pro Swim Series stop in Knoxville, the large Canadian contingent in attendance headed south.
Swimmers from both of Swimming Canada’s High Performance Centres in Toronto (HPC – Ontario) and Vancouver (HPC – Vancouver) competed in Knoxville, and the athletes traveled directly from the meet down to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a two-week training camp.
Athletes, coaches and staff from both centres are in attendance at the camp, which was designed as an opportunity to bring the country’s two elite training groups together in a different environment while taking advantage of the opportunity to train outdoors, something that’s not an option during the Canadian winter.
“Both centres are working really well with their full staff now, and this is a chance for them to work and build together,” a Swimming Canada spokesperson said.
Among those in attendance is seven-time Olympic medalist Penny Oleksiak, who currently trains out of the Ontario centre under head coach Ryan Mallette.
Oleksiak, who underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in late August, was in attendance in Knoxville but notably opted not to compete as she continues the recovery process.
Other HPC – Ontario swimmers at the camp include Finlay Knox and Ella Jansen, who both won events at the Pro Swim, along with individual Short Course World Championship medalist Javier Acevedo and recent Florida commit Lilly Daley.
Notable names out of the Vancouver centre who train under head coach Scott Talbot include James Dergousoff, Danielle Hanus, Emma O’Croinin and Justice Migneault.
It’s shocking to see how dramatically different this training centre is compared to previous years. Only remaining athlete is Penny on the woman’s side.
Why shocking?