Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games
- Sunday, August 7 – Friday, August 12, 2022
- St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
- Eleanor Misener Aquatic Center, Brock University
- LCM (50m)
- Canada Games Website
- Meet Central
- Live Results
- Live Stream
The majority of Canada’s best age group swimmers will go head-to-head beginning Sunday at the 2022 Canada Summer Games in St. Catharines, Ontario, with the swimming competition running through until Friday, August 12.
The Canada Games is a biennial multi-sport event that alternates between Summer and Winter, with athletes competing for their home province/territory.
Male athletes must be born in 2005 or later in order to be eligible (17 as of December 31, 2022) at the Games, while females must be born in 2006 or later (16 as of December 31, 2022). It’s also important to note that there is a limit of two swimmers per province in each final.
The last edition of the Canada Summer Games took place in 2017 (COVID-19 caused this event to be pushed back by one year), with names such as Josh Liendo, Cole Pratt, Finlay Knox and Avery Wiseman having competed.
Now, the next generation of Canadian swimmers will take on the event, with many of them recently coming off of racing at the National Championships in Montreal at the end of July.
NAMES TO WATCH
Alberta has opted not to select members of the Canadian team that will race at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships later this month, but Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec and British Columbia all have at least one.
Ontario has Etobicoke’s Maya Bezanson and Nepean Kanata’s Julie Brousseau on its roster, both top-tier freestylers and IMers on the girls’ side.
Brousseau is seeded first in five of her seven entries, and in one of the two she’s not the top seed (400 free), the only swimmer ranked ahead of her is Bezanson.
Pointe-Claire’s Lydia Kilger will be the lone Junior Pan Pac member on Team Quebec, as she comes into the competition as the top seed in both the girls’ 800 and 1500 freestyle, and she’ll also race the 3km open water event.
Manitoba has the Manta Swim Club duo of Mia West and Eric Dupre, who own top seeds in the girls’ 200 fly and boys’ 400 free, respectively, and they’ll be joined by Mia’s younger sister, Halle West, who is coming off a very strong showing at Nationals.
British Columbia has Island Swimming’s Bill Dongfang, who comes in ranked first in the boys’ 100 back, 100 fly and 200 fly. Joining him on Team B.C. will be Langley Olympians’ Leilani Fack, who had two runner-up finishes in the 15-17 age group at Nationals in Montreal, and Hyack’s Laon Kim.
Kim, 14, racked up nine individual medals in the boys’ 14-15 age group at Nationals, including three gold and a new NAG record in the 800 freestyle.
Another Hyack swimmer, Justin Jung, is the top seed in the boys’ 200 breast and is coming off dropping a new best of 2:20.48 at B.C. Provincials in mid-July.
Despite Team Alberta having no Junior Pan Pac members, the roster is not devoid of talent, as another newly-minted NAG record holder, Maxine Clark, heads up the roster.
Clark, just 14, became the youngest Canadian female sub-1:00 in the 100 fly at Nats, winning four individual golds and two additional silvers at the meet. The University of Calgary Swim Club member is entered to race seven events at the Games, including the 100 fly.
Another notable name on Alberta’s roster is Oliver Dawson, who swims for the Grand Prairie Piranhas Swim Club. Dawson is coming off a massive time drop in the 200 breast at Nationals, having clocked 2:21.33 to rank third all-time in the boys’ 13-14 age group.
Dawson is only seeded 10th in the 200 breast, but his time set last week would move him all the way up to first (though behind Jung’s new best, as he is entered at 2:22).
SCHEDULE
The opening session on Sunday, August 7, will be a timed finals session at 1:00 pm Eastern Time, and then there will be daily prelims at 9:30 am and finals at 6:00 pm (ET) from Monday through Thursday.
The swimming competition will then conclude on Sunday with the open water events.
In addition to following the live results, the meet will also be streamed live on the Niagara 2022 website here.
It is a shame the Eastern Canadian swimmers are not mentioned. For one Phillip (Chris) Weeks of NL . Currently, seeded 1st in the 50 free (23.34) ranked the top 15-17 year old this season. He will be racing today in the 50 fly (24.45) seeded 1st and again fastest 15-17 year old this season and this time is the second fastest 17 year old 50fly of all time in Canada behind Joshua Liendo. He won silver in the 100 free last night. There has been a strong showing from Atlantic Canada’s para and SO eastern Canadian swimmers.
The swimming competition will conclude with the open water events not on Sunday, but on Friday
The Canada Games are such an amazing experience! I competed in swimming for Team NB (despite my username) in 1997 and 2001, and getting to be part of a multi-sport games even if you aren’t on the PanAm/CW/Oly track was so cool.
Why doesn’t the US have a multi-sport games for youth? That would be so cool.
Agreed! 2001 Canada Games swimmer here.
The US does, actually! The State Games of America.
The US sporting circuit is so crowded that perhaps they’re not as talked about, but they feature age group competitions from youth through adult. Qualification is done at the state level. When I was coaching summer league, the whole league would put together a team that participated after the regular season ended – and it was fun, because the coaches could also race. I was a State Record holder at the Texas event – TAAF it was called – and qualified for Nationals, but never went. A couple of our swimmers did – it was kind of an independent ‘go if you want’ deal. One wound up being a national champion… Read more »
Do gymnasts participate in this? I follow the sport pretty closely and have never heard of this.
No gymnastics. Here’s the sports listing: https://www.stategamesofamerica.com/sports-lineup