Canada has named 26 swimmers to their roster for the 2024 World Aquatics Championships that will be held next February in Doha, Qatar. The Canadian roster will be a mix of veterans and younger swimmers getting their first chance on the big stage, though the lineup is missing most of the country’s top swimmers.
“We are delighted to announce our team for the World Championships in Doha, Qatar,” said Swimming Canada High Performance Director and National Coach John Atkinson. “The championships will provide a great opportunity for our selected athletes to race against some of the best athletes in the world early in the new year, and this will be very positive.”
Three-time Olympian Katerine Savard leads the way. This will be her 13th World Championship appearance (long course and short course combined). She is one of 16 holdovers from the 2023 World Aquatics Championships team.
The roster also includes veteran Sydney Pickrem-a four-time World Championship medalist and Olympic relay bronze medalist, and four-time Olympic medalist Taylor Ruck.
Most of the chatter, however, will be about who’s absent from this roster in the unusual timing of the pre-Olympic period. All of the country’s individual medalists from the 2023 World Championships are absent. That includes 200 fly and 400 IM World Champion Summer McIntosh, 100 fly silver medalists Maggie MacNeil and Josh Liendo, and four out of six members of the bronze medal winning 400 medley relay.
Specifically, Kylie Masse (a three-time World Champion backstroker), McNeil, McIntosh and Mary Sophie-Harvey are out. Backstroker Ingrid Wilm and breaststroker Sophie Angus are scheduled to attend.
Sienna Angove, Ashley McMillan (HPC Ontario/Greater Ottawa), Laila Oravsky (Barrie Trojans), Sarah Fournier (CNQ), Antoine Sauvé (CAMO), Blake Tierney (HPC-Vancouver/UBC Thunderbirds) will be making their world championships debuts.
Raben Dommann (HPC Vancouver/UBC Thunderbirds), who swam open water at worlds in 2019, and Tessa Cieplucha, who has an the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and two short-course worlds under her belt, will also make their debuts in the world long-course pool. Cieplucha, who has had finals-worthy times in the 400 IM in recent seasons, has been blocked by the presence of Canadian stars McIntosh and Sydney Pickrem.
Tierney, meanwhile, says he’s hoping to build off his four bronze, one silver medal performance at the recent Pan American Games.
Coming off a successful Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, where he won five medals (four bronze and one silver), Tierney hopes to build on his performances.
“I’m super excited and happy to be given the opportunity to represent Canada at my first world championships,” said Tierney. “I had a great time and learned a lot at Pan Ams and can’t wait to race for Canada again.”
11 out of the 26 members of the team list their primary training ground as one of Canada’s National Training Centers, and four list American coaches as their primary trainers.
Canadian Roster for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships
Men:
| NAME – NOM | CLUB – CLUB | PERSONAL COACH – ENTRAINEUR PERSONNEL |
| Acevedo, Javier | HPC Ontario / Ajax Swimming | Ryan Mallette |
| Dergousoff, James | HPC Vancouver | Scott Talbot |
| Dommann, Raben | HPC Vancouver / UBC Thunderbirds | Scott Talbot |
| Fan, Hau-Li | HPC Vancouver | Scott Tlabot |
| Fullum-Huot, Edouard | Pointe- Claire Swim Club | Anthony Nesty |
| Gagne, Collyn | Simon Fraser Aquatics | Liam Donnelly |
| Gaziev, Ruslan | Etobicoke Swim Club | Brian Schrader |
| Hedlin, Eric | UVIC Pacific Coast Swimming | Ryan Clouston |
| Knox, Finlay | HPC Ontario | Ryan Mallette |
| Sauve, Antoine | Camo Natation | Greg Arkhurst |
| Tierney, Blake | HPC Vancouver / UBC Thunderbirds | Scott Talbot |
| Wigginton, Lorne | HPC Ontario | Ryan Mallette |
Women:
| NAME – NOM | CLUB – CLUB | PERSONAL COACH – ENTRAINEUR PERSONNEL |
| Angove, Sienna | Unattached Canada | Brent Arckey |
| Angus, Sophie | HPC Ontario | Ryan Mallette |
| Cieplucha, Tessa | Markham Aquatic Club | Matt Kredich |
| Fournier, Sarah | CSQ | Marc-Andre Pelletier |
| Finlin, Emma | Edmonton Keyano Swim Club | Paul Birmingham |
| Jansen, Ella | HPC Ontario | Ryan Mallette |
| McMillan, Ashley | HPC Ontario / Greater Ottawa | Ryan Mallette |
| O’Croinin, Emma | HPC Vancouver/UBC Thunderbirds | Scott Talbot |
| Orvasky, Laila | Barrie Trojans Swim Club | Endi Babi |
| Pickrem, Sydney | Toronto Swim Club | Jason Calanog |
| Ruck, Taylor | ||
| Savard, Katerine | Camo Natation | Greg Arkhurst |
| Smith, Rebecca | Cascade Swim Club | Dave Johnson |
| Wilm, Ingrid | Cascade Swim Club | Dave Johnson |
Congratulations to Ella Cosgrove from Scottsdale Aquatic Club who is on the roster as well for the 800 Free and 800 Free Relay
Ruck competed at worlds
Finlay Knox has left HPC Ontario for HPC Vancouver.
Where is penny at? How is she doing is she swimming anymore
She’s training in Mission Viejo now. According to her latest IG story, looks like she and Kayla Sanchez are going to the US Open.
Sorry for the random aside but I think Swimming Australia is about to induct Kaylee into the Hall of Fame. They posted on Insta that the inductee was the first Aussie to claim “all three records in a single stroke”.
Technically Shane Gould held all freestyle records simultaneously so they’re wrong but it seems like they’re talking about Kaylee.
I am Kaylee’s #1 fan but this feels so premature. Hall of Fame is awarded at or towards the end of a career. Seems really bizarre to do it now.
EDIT: I just read the criteria and it says you have to be retired… so I guess I’m wrong. But wouldn’t put it past SA to ignore the criteria and go… Read more »
I think your post itself is “premature” if youre just going to accuse Swimming Australia for doing something they havent done…
It’s nice to see some of the next tier swimmers at this meet, especially if they don’t wind up going to the Olympics. But I think there is a definite possibility that Canada doesn’t get a single medal at Doha. As it looks like they are focusing on the Olympics, then it’s pretty clear that they aren’t seeing this meet as a big priority.
The key thing here is the medalist from the 2023 medalist have been left off the team including Summer McIntosh! This is what I call self serving selectors? WTF is going on here? You are failing Canadian swimming with your LOUSY selection! Knowing how the selection process works they will have left Mark Spitz and Michael Phelps off the team also in their prime. Ridiculous 😜😜😜 selection!
Is this sarcasm? I legit can’t tell.
This user has been making similar rants on other articles as well. I think they’re just a little odd and have lots of feelings to share… and probably don’t understand the selection process.
Yes, verbal abuse rules, sad.
🙄
McIntosh would’ve turned the spot down.
Kharun won’t be there either.
That’s what I was thinking when reading the article which didn’t even mention Kharun.
He likely has college meet commitments that overlap with this meet. I’m sure he’s not the only one. Eric Brown, Liendo, and Patrick Hussey, to name a few.