Canadian Olympic Trials: Tessa Cieplucha to Join Sydney Pickrem in 400 IM in Tokyo
The gap between Tessa Cieplucha and the Olympic stood at only .43 seconds. But as plenty of swimmers can attest, at Canadian Olympic Trials and elsewhere around the world, that fraction can look like a mountain.
Cieplucha summitted that mountain in style Wednesday night, nabbing an Olympic A cut in the 400 individual medley. Her time of 4:37.26 pushed Sydney Pickrem hard, Cieplucha landing second by .23 behind Pickrem’s winning time of 4:37.03.
Pickrem’s place in Tokyo was set via pre-selection, one of three individual events she’ll swim. But Cieplucha was swimming for her Olympic life on the final day of the five-day meet, in her favorite event.
“This is such a great feeling right now. I’m so happy,” Cieplucha said. “This has been a dream of mine and coming back into training after the pandemic and everything happened, this has been my goal, and I’m just so happy everything paid off.”
- Live Results
- Day 1 prelims: Joshua Liendo Kicks off Canadian Olympic Trials with National Record in 100 Fly
- Day 1 finals: Canadian Olympic Trials: Katerine Savard Books Third Olympic Trip in 100 Fly
- Day 1 finals: Canadian Olympic Trials: Kylie Masse Makes Statement with 57.70 100 Back
- Day 2 prelims: Canadian Olympic Trials: Penny Oleksiak, Kelsey Wog Earn Top Seeds
- Day 2 finals: Canadian Olympic Trials: Summer McIntosh Rallies Past Penny Oleksiak to Win 200 Free
- Day 3 Prelims: Canadian Olympic Trials: Joshua Liendo Adds 50 Free A Cut in Prelims
- Day 3 Finals: Canadian Olympic Trials: Summer McIntosh Adds A Cut in 800 Free
- Day 3 Finals: Canadian Olympic Trials: Sydney Pickrem Outduels Kelsey Wog in 200 IM
- Day 3 Finals: Canadian Olympic Trials: Brent Hayden Sprints Into Fourth Olympics in 50
- Day 4 Prelims: Canadian Olympic Trials: Yuri Kisil Nabs 100 Free A Cut; Brent Hayden Scratches Final
- Day 4 Finals: Canadian Olympic Trials: Kelsey Wog Adds Second Win in 200 Breast
- Day 4 Finals: Canadian Olympic Trials: Reigning Olympic Champ Penny Oleksiak Rips 52.89 100 Free
Cieplucha was fourth after 100 meters but threw down a pair of 35s in the backstroke to surge into the lead. It was a big enough edge that she was only .07 behind Pickrem after the breaststroke leg, Pickrem’s specialty. She was up by .65 seconds at 350 meters, but Pickrem closed with a 31.22 to get the win.
Photo Courtesy: Gerard Richardson/Swimming Canada
Cieplucha is also a back-halfer, and she focused on being aggressive with the front half of her race Wednesday. That she was neck-and-neck with Pickrem provided a confidence booster.
“I always feel comfortable in the back half of the race, but today was all about testing, putting myself out there in the first half,” Cieplucha said. “Seeing here, I think I turned to Sydney’s side a few times in the race. Seeing her beside me the whole race definitely helped me push through when it was getting tough.”
Pickrem was delighted to see Cieplucha hit the FINA A standard. The two have raced for years in the SEC, with Pickrem at Texas A&M and Cieplucha in Knoxville. Pickrem was also reminded of 2016 when she made her first cut in the 400 IM, a full-circle moment seeing her teammate and training partner at the Toronto High Performance Centre do the same.
“I know what it’s like to have that pressure,” Pickrem said. “I know this race isn’t fun. I don’t think anyone will say it’s fun. … I don’t even know what I went, I was just looking at what she went and seeing if she was under the standard at the end. To have a teammate going to the Olympics with you, it’s great.”
Event 23 Women 400 LC Meter IM
==================================================================
CANADIAN: N 4:32.52 2015-08-09Emily Overholt, WVOSC
OLYMPIC A: A 4:38.53
Name Year Team Seed Finals
==================================================================
1 Pickrem, Sydney 97 TSC 4:35.15 4:37.03A
r:+0.66 29.29 1:03.05 (33.76)
1:38.92 (35.87) 2:14.88 (35.96)
2:53.61 (38.73) 3:32.89 (39.28)
4:05.81 (32.92) 4:37.03 (31.22)
2 Cieplucha, Tessa 98 MAC 4:38.96 4:37.26A
r:+0.78 29.78 1:04.16 (34.38)
1:39.24 (35.08) 2:13.86 (34.62)
2:52.89 (39.03) 3:32.95 (40.06)
4:05.32 (32.37) 4:37.26 (31.94)
3 Andison, Bailey 97 PERTH 4:39.54 4:38.66
r:+0.70 29.73 1:03.84 (34.11)
1:40.27 (36.43) 2:15.28 (35.01)
2:54.14 (38.86) 3:34.05 (39.91)
4:06.76 (32.71) 4:38.66 (31.90)
4 Harvey, Mary-Sophie 99 CAMO 4:42.70 4:43.30
r:+0.69 29.71 1:04.31 (34.60)
1:40.98 (36.67) 2:17.35 (36.37)
2:56.97 (39.62) 3:37.85 (40.88)
4:10.62 (32.77) 4:43.30 (32.68)
5 McMillan, Ashley 04 KISU 4:52.49 4:49.63
r:+0.75 29.88 1:03.62 (33.74)
1:40.69 (37.07) 2:17.19 (36.50)
2:59.62 (42.43) 3:40.89 (41.27)
4:15.70 (34.81) 4:49.63 (33.93)
6 Herbert, Bailey 02 LOSC 4:53.05 4:50.74
r:+0.79 30.24 1:05.17 (34.93)
1:43.79 (38.62) 2:21.28 (37.49)
3:01.97 (40.69) 3:43.14 (41.17)
4:17.56 (34.42) 4:50.74 (33.18)
7 McCloy, Allison 99 UCSC 4:51.57 4:51.29
r:+0.84 30.61 1:04.96 (34.35)
1:44.42 (39.46) 2:21.96 (37.54)
3:02.89 (40.93) 3:44.51 (41.62)
4:18.34 (33.83) 4:51.29 (32.95)
8 Wheeler, Megan 03 NKB 4:55.30 4:52.02
r:+0.57 31.09 1:06.74 (35.65)
1:43.29 (36.55) 2:20.14 (36.85)
3:02.07 (41.93) 3:44.83 (42.76)
4:18.78 (33.95) 4:52.02 (33.24)
Men’s 400 Individual Medley
Collyn Gagne, the third seed entering the event, had a huge time drop to get the win in 4:18.65. It’s a cut of just shy of three seconds off his seed time.
Second was top seed Tristan Cote in 4:23.13, nearly six seconds slower than his seed. He was just .15 ahead of Jacob Gallant.
Event 24 Men 400 LC Meter IM
==================================================================
CANADIAN: N 4:11.41 2008-08-09Brian Johns, UBCD
OLYMPIC A: A 4:15.84
Name Year Team Seed Finals
==================================================================
1 Gagne, Collyn 00 SFA 4:21.49 4:18.65
r:+0.74 27.35 58.28 (30.93)
1:32.67 (34.39) 2:05.32 (32.65)
2:41.88 (36.56) 3:18.58 (36.70)
3:49.42 (30.84) 4:18.65 (29.23)
2 Cote, Tristan 95 UCSC 4:17.22 4:23.13
r:+0.70 27.20 58.40 (31.20)
1:31.52 (33.12) 2:03.95 (32.43)
2:40.47 (36.52) 3:18.61 (38.14)
3:50.72 (32.11) 4:23.13 (32.41)
3 Gallant, Jacob 02 FAST 4:22.87 4:23.28
r:+0.74 27.80 59.45 (31.65)
1:32.90 (33.45) 2:06.22 (33.32)
2:43.34 (37.12) 3:21.18 (37.84)
3:52.58 (31.40) 4:23.28 (30.70)
4 Hussey, Patrick 01 PCSC 4:26.70 4:24.35
r:+0.73 27.81 1:00.52 (32.71)
1:35.09 (34.57) 2:09.01 (33.92)
2:45.74 (36.73) 3:23.43 (37.69)
3:54.16 (30.73) 4:24.35 (30.19)
5 Loewen, Benjamin 04 CREST 4:27.75 4:25.72
r:+0.65 27.68 59.55 (31.87)
1:33.54 (33.99) 2:06.24 (32.70)
2:45.00 (38.76) 3:25.36 (40.36)
3:57.44 (32.08) 4:25.72 (28.28)
6 Fotherby, Justin 03 KISU 4:26.01 4:26.00
r:+0.76 27.62 59.14 (31.52)
1:33.26 (34.12) 2:06.95 (33.69)
2:46.39 (39.44) 3:25.87 (39.48)
3:56.37 (30.50) 4:26.00 (29.63)
7 Palaschuk, Brian 98 UOFC 4:23.13 4:26.65
r:+0.69 27.62 59.86 (32.24)
1:35.03 (35.17) 2:08.41 (33.38)
2:46.03 (37.62) 3:25.13 (39.10)
3:56.20 (31.07) 4:26.65 (30.45)
8 Champagne, Montana 96 GO 4:21.40 4:27.92
r:+0.74 26.98 58.26 (31.28)
1:33.56 (35.30) 2:08.04 (34.48)
2:45.76 (37.72) 3:24.73 (38.97)
3:56.84 (32.11) 4:27.92 (31.08)
200 Women’s Backstroke
Taylor Ruck hasn’t had the week at Canadian Trials she might have expected, but she’s ending it on a high note.
Ruck went 2:09.26, a solid time for Trials to get the second spot. She has been 2:06.70, but put down a time well under the A cut at this meet is a good sign ahead of Tokyo.
It’s been an up-and-down meet for Ruck. She didn’t make the final in the 200 free, then withdrew from the 50. She’s the Canadian record-holder in both events. She also finished fifth in the 100 free, in which she was pre-selected to the Games.
But she’s been sharp in backstroke, finishing second with an A cut in the 100 back. And now she’s done the same in the 200.
Kylie Masse, the national record holder, won the event easily in 2:06.67. She was within .7 of her Canadian record.
Masse offers a little perspective on Ruck and how difficult things have been at Trials, so an up-and-down Trials doesn’t mean what it might normally mean.
“Being here with no fans, no anything, no teammates even on deck, just the people who are in the race, it’s quite different for everyone to get up and swim as fast as we can, and it’s definitely a challenge,” she said. “It’s been a difficult year. The most important thing has been being there for each other and supporting each other.”
Event 25 Women 200 LC Meter Backstroke
==================================================================
CANADIAN: N 2:05.94 2019-04-05Kylie Masse, TSC
OLYMPIC A: A 2:10.39
Name Year Team Prelims Finals
==================================================================
=== A - Final ===
1 Masse, Kylie 96 TSC 2:09.30 2:06.67A
r:+0.58 29.61 1:01.41 (31.80)
1:33.85 (32.44) 2:06.67 (32.82)
2 Ruck, Taylor 00 SCAR 2:11.46 2:09.26A
r:+0.66 29.80 1:02.02 (32.22)
1:35.28 (33.26) 2:09.26 (33.98)
3 Douthwright, Brooklyn 03 CNBO 2:14.99 2:10.49
r:+0.59 30.72 1:03.42 (32.70)
1:37.01 (33.59) 2:10.49 (33.48)
4 Rathwell, Regan 04 GO 2:16.03 2:11.72
r:+0.62 30.42 1:03.64 (33.22)
1:37.83 (34.19) 2:11.72 (33.89)
5 Varga, Ella 04 UCSC 2:13.61 2:11.95
r:+0.63 31.21 1:04.51 (33.30)
1:38.20 (33.69) 2:11.95 (33.75)
6 Zavaros, Mabel 00 MAC 2:14.62 2:12.39
r:+0.64 31.10 1:04.49 (33.39)
1:38.55 (34.06) 2:12.39 (33.84)
7 Wilm, Ingrid 98 CASC 2:13.33 2:12.76
r:+0.72 31.40 1:05.93 (34.53)
1:40.53 (34.60) 2:12.76 (32.23)
8 Moulson, Sara 03 MAC 2:15.00 2:14.47
r:+0.74 32.11 1:06.35 (34.24)
1:40.56 (34.21) 2:14.47 (33.91)
9 Janvier, Aela 99 PCSC 2:14.76 2:14.87
r:+0.61 31.73 1:05.54 (33.81)
1:40.75 (35.21) 2:14.87 (34.12)
10 Scholes, Dylan 04 MAC 2:17.11 2:16.16
r:+0.69 31.86 1:06.30 (34.44)
1:41.04 (34.74) 2:16.16 (35.12)
Men’s 200 Backstroke
Cole Pratt dropped time from prelims to win the event in 1:58.11, but he’s .61 seconds shy of the automatic standard.
Second was Blake Tierney in 1:59.49, joined in the sub-2-minute club by Richie Stokes.
Not swimming the race was Markus Thormeyer. The Canadian record holder (an a cut of 1:56.96) has been pre-selected to the event in Tokyo.
Event 26 Men 200 LC Meter Backstroke
==================================================================
CANADIAN: N 1:56.96 2019-07-25Markus Thormeyer, UBCTS
OLYMPIC A: A 1:57.50
Name Year Team Prelims Finals
==================================================================
=== A - Final ===
1 Pratt, Cole 02 CASC 1:58.87 1:58.11
r:+0.64 28.19 57.86 (29.67)
1:28.07 (30.21) 1:58.11 (30.04)
2 Tierney, Blake 02 UBCT 2:00.60 1:59.49
r:+0.62 28.01 58.14 (30.13)
1:28.77 (30.63) 1:59.49 (30.72)
3 Stokes, Richie 00 UCSC 1:59.87 1:59.52
r:+0.60 28.06 58.19 (30.13)
1:28.82 (30.63) 1:59.52 (30.70)
4 McNeill, Hugh 03 LOSC 2:01.16 2:00.69
r:+0.66 28.44 59.09 (30.65)
1:30.42 (31.33) 2:00.69 (30.27)
5 Marois, William 98 CAMO 2:01.76 2:01.17
r:+0.59 28.05 58.40 (30.35)
1:29.72 (31.32) 2:01.17 (31.45)
6 Loewen, Benjamin 04 CREST 2:03.96 2:02.25
r:+0.69 29.44 1:00.61 (31.17)
1:31.85 (31.24) 2:02.25 (30.40)
7 De Pol, Tayden 02 UBCT 2:03.61 2:03.50
r:+0.63 27.37 57.57 (30.20)
1:29.79 (32.22) 2:03.50 (33.71)
8 Hill, Robert 96 UCSC 2:03.67 2:04.06
r:+0.57 28.37 59.52 (31.15)
1:31.68 (32.16) 2:04.06 (32.38)
9 Buck, Carter 03 LAC 2:06.25 2:06.13
r:+0.60 29.46 1:01.88 (32.42)
1:34.04 (32.16) 2:06.13 (32.09)
10 Mac, Matthew 98 OAK 2:05.98 2:07.24
r:+0.52 29.35 1:01.52 (32.17)
1:34.26 (32.74) 2:07.24 (32.98)
