Team Canada swimmers Mabel Zavaros and Sydney Pickrem have both announced that they won’t be competing at the 2023 World Championships. Zavaros has pulled out due to an ongoing injury to both her shoulders and Pickrem made the decision due to “personal circumstances.”
Zavaros was expected to race the 800 freestyle for Canada in Fukuoka while Pickrem was expected to race the 200 breaststroke, 200 IM, and 400 IM.
Pickrem has been a mainstay on the Canadian national team for nearly a decade and has swum at every World Championships since 2015. She also swam for Canada at the Rio 2016 Olympics and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, winning a medal in the 4×100 medley relay at the former.
She withdrew from last year’s Commonwealth Games, though, also citing personal reasons.
The 2023 edition would have been Zavaros’ first time at a World Championships, however. She qualified to race for Canada at the 2018 and 2022 Commonwealth Games, the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships, and the 2017 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships, but has yet to race at a World Champs or an Olympics.
In a press release from Swimming Canada, both Zavaros and Pickrem released statements regarding their decisions to opt out of the meet.
“I’ve been communicating a lot with my doctors, athletic trainers, and coaches about my shoulder injuries. With their support and medical opinions, I have come to a tough decision that I need to take some time this summer to continue doing rehab and rest to help both my shoulders,” said Zavaros. “This was not a decision I took lightly and it brings me sadness knowing I cannot represent my country this summer.”
“I’m disappointed I won’t be able to join the team in Japan, but I’m looking forward to Pan Ams later on this year. I’m grateful for the support from Swimming Canada and I’m wishing all the best to the team” said Pickrem.
Both swimmers also qualified to race at the 2023 Pan American Games in October, which means they still have an opportunity to race for Canada this year.
Canada originally announced a 31-strong roster after its Trials meet, but Penny Oleksiak pulled out shortly after. Having lost two more swimmers from its roster, Canada will now send 28 swimmers to Fukuoka in July. The team will be highlighted by world record holder Summer McIntosh, World and Olympic champion Maggie MacNeil, World champion Kylie Masse, and World Champ medalist Josh Liendo.
Canada has not yet announced the withdrawal of Taylor Ruck from the meet, and the number of competitors they’re citing would include her. That is in spite of an injury suffered earlier this year while skateboarding.
Find a comprehensive list of swimmers from around the world who won’t be racing at the 2023 World Championships here.
Facts:
She has missed more meets and races previously entered than the average world class swimmer, but certainly not all if you see the “MIAs” for worlds this year. Fair to ask questions, not so much to attack and demeen her intergrety.
She has publicly admitted some mental health struggles and aiming to work thru them in order to continue as an elite swimmer.
She has been a mainstay on the CAN national team since 2015, a great career. She had ‘attended’ more international meets than most Canadian swimmers, only a few have repped the Leaf more.
She has officially pulled out, on record, a grand total of “2” international competitions. The 2022 Commonwealths and 23 Worlds. A… Read more »
I don’t know a lot about Canadian selection procedures so what I’m about to say might not be relevant… I’d be very upset if I were an IMer who finished behind pickrem at trials and wasn’t selected to be on the team. Pickrem has bailed on big meets multiple times. Who’s to say she’ll even compete at Panams later this year?
At one point does swimming Canada punish pickrem for bowing out of important meets? Are they able to deny her a roster spot on the “A” international team due to her history of failing to compete?
We actually have no idea when these discussions/ decisions were made. We just happen to get the press release as the Canadian team was heading to Japan. Unlikely Swim Can gets a call the day before travel informing them, out of the blue, oh “I’m not coming”. In the very unlikely case that happened then sure ‘punishment’ might be relevant. By the way, the 3rd place the 200im (Harvey) is already on the team. zavars was the 400 im 3rd place. 4th place (Jensen) already on the team, she didn’t get Fina A at the trials but elsewhere someone says she does have a FINA A from another meet. 200 br 3rd place no Fina A. So it seems no… Read more »
I know for some of you on this site empathy is a hard if not impossible idea for you to get your head around. We have no idea what is going on in people’s lives outside of swimming. Good grief. Give your heads a shake. I know it’s hard for you to understand that someone may have a life outside of swimming that we know nothing about. Not everyone posts every moment of their lives on social media . Given the good performances Pickrem had at the Can Swim Trials she’s probably as disappointed as anyone she’s not going to be able to participate. If your so called ‘fandom’ drives you to spew nasty derogatory commentary then perhaps you… Read more »
Be honest and consistent and stop collecting carding money from Canadian taxpayers if you decide to not represent Canada time after time
Brutal but not really surprised.
Who’s next? 🙄
Shame to see Pickrem pull out when she’s been pretty close to her best this year. I hope she’s ok.
I don’t really get the criticism. She has something going on and she decided to pull out BEFORE worlds. What else was she supposed to do?
Yup, it’s much better than pulling out during the meet and not saying anything.
Her resilience seems to be much lower than other athletes who compete at this level, it has been this way for a long time and hasn’t improved.
Well once the Canadian Natl team director starts covering for their Olympic star and letting her bail on everything and hold everyone hostage behind the scenes with the “I might just quit”, you open the barn door for them all to have justification to bail out on things. And this will potentially get worse unless he has the stones to stand up for the country and not his resume before he bolts back to jolly old England.
But let’s also be clear. Pickrem has zero loyalty to Canada so not a shock she continuously bails. She’s a south Florida girl (I believe) that’s never lived a meaningful amount of time in Canada in her life. She simply uses the… Read more »
Zero hope? She was faster than every American IM’er for years until the current Virginia girls!
Its time for John Atkinson to go home.The hpc,s are a disaster.There seems to be a lack of commitment on the part of some of the older female swimmers.Are they still pulling down monthly stipends for basically nothing?If Canada needs to take a step back and commit to younger more dedicated swimmers then so be it.I,d rather see 4 young girls on the relay team doing their best no matter if they win a silver or bronze medal.Seems to have started with the departure of Ben Titley but really seems to have spread through the whole organization.When was the last time Canada hosted a major international swim meet?I,m more than curious as to how Swim Canada spends their funds.I,m gonna… Read more »
“…Seems to have started with the departure of Ben Titley…” 👀
I was thinking the same thing…
Follow up thought on that. All I know is that USA Swimming is not allowed to have anyone that isn’t an American citizen both as it’s National team director or for its international coaching staffs.
The reason is simple, not a political thing, it’s just fact that you care more when it’s the country you’re from. You’re fully invested. It hurts more if you lose and you are elated more if you win. It’s not just a nice paycheck.
Swimming Canada seems determined to continuously bring in foreigners because for some reason they either lack confidence in their own abilities or they are continuously bamboozled into believing the Aussies and Brit’s do it better.
The ironic thing… Read more »
Without one of those foreigners your team would be on par with Ugandan swimming currently
Swim Canada’s mandate aligns perfectly with the Minister of Sport for Canadas mandate which aligns perfectly with Justin Trudeaus mandate letter to her dated December 16 2021. Priorities are safe sport, diversity, inclusion, equality, indigenous, Quebec and environmental focus. High performance is listed 4 out of the seven priorities listed. A quick glance through the swim Canada media and provincial swim websites validates the mandate is being acted on day in day out. The entire high performance swimming system could do with a review but as I see it there is no catalyst for that to happen. It’s highly likely the entire carding budget is immaterial relative to the amount of money that’s being spent on Safe Sport, let alone… Read more »
Apart from the Mel Zajac? 2015 Pan Am Games.
Your statement about Sydney not being fast enough to make the American team is incorrect. She won a medal at the Olympics for Canada so that would mean she had to beat out American swimmers there. So clearly she could have made the American team considering she beat them at the actual Olympics. She clearly chose to swim for Canada as a tribute to her family. Please know all the facts before you start commenting on someone’s situation while you sit on your phone.
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh her Olympic medal was in the 400 medley relay where Canada was 3rd and the US was 2nd and the American breaststrokers were 1.5/2.0 seconds faster, respectively.
I’m not taking sides but your point is a big ole’ whiff. She also got beat by the Americans in her individual events.
If I were you, I would instead rely on her World Championship individual bronze medals. In 2019, she was higher than both Americans in the 200 IM, higher than both Americans in the 200 breast, and in 2017 higher than both Americans in the 400 IM. So that’s maybe the stat you’re looking for.
Oh my, how times have changed.
Representing Canada was an easier path with less risk. She would have more competition to qualify for USA than Canada
Gives the younger swimmers opportunities to race relays with some vets like Kylie. We didn’t stand a chance with the relays anyway, time to switch it up.
We don’t stand ‘what’ chance, to win?? We didn’t likely anyways as we needed a 4ht/5th 53 100 Freestyler, 4th/5th 155/56 200 Freestyler, and either a 105 Breaststroker or one of Masse/Maggie/Penny to go other wordly on their Medley leg.
However we did stand a great chance to be a very competetive top 2/3. Now with the varied withdrawels that is more difficult, unlikely. But we still need to post solid results to secure Olympic qualification. So you pick whoever is going to help the most there, younger or older. Save the ‘younger experience’ idea for Pan Ams.