Canadian Junior Championships Set To Kick Off Wednesday From Calgary

2019 Canadian Junior Championships

The 2019 Canadian Junior Championships are set to kick off on Wednesday from the Repsol Sport Centre in Calgary, Alberta, featuring some of the country’s best swimmers aged 18 & under.

The pool competition will run until Sunday, and then the action shifts to the open water races on Monday morning at Lake Chaparral.

‘’The Canadian Junior Swimming Championships are a chance for the next generation of swimming stars to shine,’’ said Swimming Canada Events Manager Amanda Zevnik.

‘’We are so happy to be back in Calgary this year. Repsol Sport Centre, Tourism Calgary and Cascade Swim Club have been amazing partners in helping put together this event and we are all looking forward to a successful championship.’’

Both genders are separated into two different age categories to compete for medals. The men have a 14-15 and a 16-18 age group, and the women have 13-14 and 15-17.

Among those competing at the championships will be Regan Rathwell of the Greater Ottawa Kingfish. Rathwell won a pair of golds at last year’s competition in Winnipeg, claiming the women’s 100 and 200 backstroke, and will be looking to repeat this year in the 15-17 category.

The 15-year-old comes in as the top seed in both back events, and holds a total of nine entries for the meet, including the 3k open water event.

Also competing will be Sebastian Somerset of the Cascade Swim Club, who won the men’s 16-18 200 back in 2018. The now 18-year-old also led off the men’s medley relay with a 100 back time of 56.39, which would’ve been good enough to win the individual event by close to two seconds had he not been disqualified in the prelims.

He is entered in a total five events for the meet, including the top seed in both back events.

A few of the athletes who competed last summer in Winnipeg have already made the jump onto the Senior National Team. Joshua LiendoCole PrattGabe Mastromatteo and Emma O’Croinin all competed at this meet in 2018 and are now competing at the FINA World Championships in South Korea.

Quotes courtesy of Swimming Canada.

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Northern SwimParent
4 years ago

Next to hockey, swimming is becoming Canada’s sport, perhaps tennis is up there as well.

Should be a great meet! Come by and watch if you are around. Canada’s best young swimmers will be there.

About James Sutherland

James Sutherland

James swam five years at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back and IM. He finished up his collegiate swimming career in 2018, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019 he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism. Prior to going to Laurentian, James swam …

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