Swimming/Natation Canada has released the full roster for the 2012 Canadian Olympic Team, complete with 13 men and 18 women. The 31-qualified swimmers makes for the biggest team since Sydney in 2000, despite what is viewed as a huge up-tick in the difficulty of this year’s FINA Olympic Time Standards.
The balance again tips in the favor of the women at this meet (between the rosters we’ve seen announced – here, Great Britain, Hungary, Spain – does anybody else get the feeling that we’re going to see a whole lot more women in London than men?)by favor of 18-13, though even that number feels closer-than-expected.
While the men’s side of the roster is aging, the women are very young. Only 14 of these 31 swimmers are repeat offenders from Beijing, and among the big-time names who didn’t make the team are World Record holder Annamay Pierse, and National Record holder Mike Brown. Enter instead a young group like men’s 400 IM champion Alec Page, as well as the sisters Brittany and Heather MacLean and new National Record-breaker Sinead Russell.
As of yet, at least, none of the “discretionary” entries have been accepted, which brings some disappointment especially in the case of a swimmer like teenager Chantal van Landeghem, who missed the qualifying mark at these Trials by .01 seconds (and cleared the FINA A-standard at last year’s World Championships).
These 31 (though not fully set-in-stone yet) were paraded around Montreal after the meet on a red, London-style double-decker bus, continuing what has been a great theme to this meet – it ties together with the large bus that athletes were invited to sign after qualifying for the team.
Men (13):
Joe Bartoch, London, Ont. (100 butterfly)
Ryan Cochrane, Victoria (400 freestyle)
Scott Dickens, Burlington, Ont. (100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke)
Andrew Ford, Guelph, Ont. (200 IM)
Charles Francis, Cowansville, Que. (100 backstroke)
Thomas Gossland, Vancouver (400 freestyle relay)
Brent Hayden, Vancouver (100 freestyle, 400 freestyle relay)
Richard Hortness, Medicine Hat, Alta. (400 freestyle relay)
Tobias Oriwol, Toronto (200 backstroke)
Alec Page, Victoria (400 IM)
Colin Russell, Burlington, Ont., (400 freestyle relay)
David Sharpe, Halifax (200 buttefly)
Blake Worsley, Victoria (200 freestyle)
Women (18):
Hilary Caldwell, Surrey, B.C. (200 backstroke)
Samantha Cheverton, Pointe-Claire, Que. (200 freestyle, 800 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay)
Stephanie Horner, Beaconsfield, Que. (400 IM)
Barbara Jardin, Montreal (200 freestyle, 800 freestyle relay)
Savannah King, Vancouver (400 freestyle, 800 freestyle)
Alexa Komarnycky, Etobicoke (800 freestyle)
Audrey Lacroix, Montreal (200 butterfly)
Brittany MacLean, Etobicoke, Ont. (400 freestyle, 800 freestyle relay)
Heather MacLean, Etobicoke (400 freestyle relay)
Martha McCabe, Toronto (200 breaststroke)
Victoria Poon, Montreal (400 freestyle relay)
Erica Morningstar, Calgary (200 IM)
Amanda Reason, Windsor, Ont. (800 freestyle relay)
Katerine Savard, Quebec City (100 butterfly)
Sinead Russell, Burlington, Ont. (100 backstroke, 200 backstroke)
Jillian Tyler, Calgary (100 breaststroke)
Tera Van Beilen, Oakville, Ont. (100 breaststroke)
Julia Wilkinson, Stratford, Ont. (100 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 400 freestyle relay and 200 IM)
