Canadian star swimmer Noemie Thomas withdrew from the preliminary rounds of the 200 meter butterfly at the 2015 Pan American Games on Tuesday morning, at the time without explanation.
Noemie Thomas Ready for a Games Experience (Video Interview).
After the completion of the session, however, Swimming Canada revealed that Thomas has been battling illness, causing her to withdraw from that event.
Throughout her career, Thomas’ best events have been the 50 and 100 meter butterflies historically, including a National Record in the 50 over short course meters (there’s no 50 fly at this meet). In her freshman year training at Cal in the United States, however, she improved by leaps-and-bounds in her 200 fly, including a 7th-place finish at the NCAA Championships in yards.
That began to show up immediately when she swam a lifetime best of 2:11.19 at the Canadian Trials in April, shortly after those NCAA Championships, which earned her a silver medal (she won the 100 fly).
While it only took a 2:14.21 to make the top 8 in Toronto on Tuesday, the top three swimmers in prelims cruised to times faster than Thomas’ best. While she’s likely got more improvements in her future in that 200 fly, she’s swimming at the World Championships in three weeks, so there’s no guarantees that those improvements would’ve come here at the Pan Am Games.
Still, in front of a home crowd, a medal was a possibility barring the scratch.
Swimming Canada says that Thomas is still entered into Thursday’s 100 meter fly, where she’s the second seed behind countrymate Katerine Savard and just ahead of American Kelsi Worrell.
Swimming Canada did not specify the nature of Thomas’ illness.
