Swimming Canada will send a 25-member team (13 men, 12 women) consisting of Olympic and world championship medalists to the FINA World Swimming Championships, being held July 12-28.
Included on the team is Kylie Masse (University of Toronto), the reigning world champion in the 100-m backstroke and an Olympic bronze medallist; Taylor Ruck (High Performance Centre – Ontario) who has a combined 15 Olympic, Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championship medals but has never competed at a senior world championships; Penny Oleksiak (High Performance Centre – Ontario) an Olympic champion and world championship bronze medallist; Yuri Kisil (High Performance Centre – Ontario) a three-time world championship bronze medallist; and Markus Thormeyer (High Performance Centre – Vancouver) a world championship and Commonwealth Games medallist.
The team also offers a glimpse of the future with 15-year-old Emma O’Croinin (Edmonton Keyano Swim Club) being the youngest member while 16-year-olds Cole Pratt (Cascade Swim Club) and Gabe Mastromatteo (Kenora Swimming Sharks) are the youngest males.
Several swimmers who made FINA A cuts at the Trials missed out on spots, as only the top two Canadians in each event could qualify. John Atkinson, Swimming Canada’s Director, High Performance, said the team shows the depth of Canadian swimming.
“We continue to evolve as a national team,” said Atkinson. “There is less room for error on the women’s side and the men’s team is showing there is a real youth movement beginning to build which we’ve known has been coming.”
The world championships will set the stage for the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
“We will run with exactly the same protocols on the team that we will do in 2020,” said Atkinson.
Martyn Wilby, Senior Coach, Olympic Program, said the world championships will serve as a measuring stick.
“It’s the highest profile swim meet in the summer,” he said. “You are basically seeing how your athletes stack up against the rest of the world.”
The world championships will give Canada a chance to qualify relay teams for Tokyo in the men’s and women’s 4×100-m freestyle, 4x-200 freestyle and 4x-100-medley plus the mixed relays. The top individual medallists at worlds can have their times considered for selection to Tokyo.
Masse was awarded the female swim of the meet, based on 2018 world rankings. Thormeyer (High Performance Centre – Vancouver) was awarded the male swim of the meet.
FINA World Swimming Championship Men’s Roster
- Bagshaw, Jeremy
- Binnema, Josiah
- Cote, Tristan
- Darragh, Mack
- Funk, Richard
- Kisil, Yuri
- Liendo, Joshua
- Mastromatteo, Gabe
- Olafson, Carson
- Pisani, William
- Pratt, Alexander
- Pratt, Cole
- Thormeyer, Markus
FINA World Swimming Championship Women’s Roster
- MacNeil, Maggie
- Masse, Kylie
- O’Croinin, Emma
- Oleksiak, Penny
- Overholt, Emily
- Padington, Mackenzie
- Pickrem, Sydney
- Ruck, Taylor
- Sanchez, Kayla
- Smith, Kierra
- Smith, Rebecca
- Wog, Kelsey
— The above press release was posted by Swimming World in conjunction with Swimming Canada. For press releases and advertising inquiries please contact Advertising@SwimmingWorld.com
