Canadian Olympians Headline First Major Meet In Alberta In Two Years

Courtesy: Cascade Swimming

20 February 2022 (Calgary, AB) – Olympic silver medalist and World Champion, Rebecca Smith (University of Calgary Dinos) headlines the Cascade Swim Club’s Western Transmountain Festival 2022 happening this upcoming weekend (26-27 February) at the Brooksfield YMCA pool at Seton. Competitors from all over Canada including a large contingent of swimmers from Quebec are all competing. Smith, who won a silver medal in Tokyo as a part of the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay, recently became a three-time World Champion at the December 2021 short course World Championships in Abu Dhabi.

Due to the unique circumstances of the COVID pandemic the competition this year has attracted a number of swimmers from outside of Alberta including 57 swimmers from various teams in Quebec. Katerine Savard, bronze medalist from Rio 2016 and a member of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic team, along with her teammate Mary-Sophie Harvey also a member of the Tokyo team, are both here competing with their CAMO club team. Savard, like Smith, took part in the short course World Championships before the New Year where she also came home with three world titles.

The Pointe Claire Swim Club, Neptune Natation and Club de Natation CDNDG are also here from Quebec looking to get some valuable competitive experience prior to the Canadian World & Commonwealth Swimming Trials in Victoria in April.

The Cascade Swim Club has their Tokyo 2020 Olympic team member, Cole Pratt, in attendance but not competing due to injury, along with Ingrid Wilm who earlier this season was ranked #1 in the World in the women’s 100m backstroke. Pratt and Wilm who competed on the ISL pro circuit in the fall for the Toronto Titans and the LA Current respectively are prepping for the World & Commonwealth Trials as well.

The following athletes and coaches will be available to the media from 5:00-6:00PM at the Brooksfield YMCA at Seton on Friday the 25th of February:

Swimmers 

• Harvey, Mary-Sophie (CAMO)* Tokyo 2020 Olympic Team
• Pratt, Cole (CASCADE)* Tokyo 2020 Olympic Team
• Savard, Katerine (CAMO)* Tokyo 2020 Olympic Team, Olympic Medalist & World Champion
• Smith, Rebecca (DINOS)* Tokyo 2020 Olympic Team, Olympic Medalist & World Champion
• Wilm, Ingrid (CASCADE)* Former World-Ranked #1 backstroker this season

Coaches 

• Arkhurst, Greg (CAMO) Coach, Abu Dhabi 2021 World Championship Team
• Blondal, Michael (DINOS) Coach, University of Calgary Dinos Varsity Swim Team
• Gingras, Martin (PCSC) Coach, Pointe Claire Swim Club (Pointe Claire)
• Gendron, Alex (NN) Club Manager, Neptune Natation (Montreal)
• Johnson, David (CASCADE) Coach, Tokyo 2020 Olympic Team & Abu Dhabi 2021 Lamy, Pierre (CNDNG) Coach, CNDNG (Montreal)

*Athletes will be in attendance while coaches and or team representatives may change. If you have any specific requests please RSVP.

Psych Sheets and link to Live Results which will also be available of Meet Mobile.