Three Olympians Lead Canada’s 12-Swimmer Roster For 2025 World University Games

Canada has announced its swimming roster for the 2025 World University Games, taking place in Berlin, Germany from July 17-23. The team is comprised of six men and six women, with 10 of the 12 swimmers bringing previous experience from junior or senior national teams.

The 12-athlete squad is headlined by three Olympians who represented Canada at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics: Julie Brousseau, Patrick Hussey, and Emma O’Croinin. Brousseau anchored Canada’s 4×200 freestyle relay to a 4th-place finish in the Olympic final, while O’Croinin helped the team advance 6th into the final.

Beyond Paris, Brousseau holds a large medal collection from international competitions, including seven podium finishes at the 2023 World Junior Championships and three more at the 2023 Pan American Games. The Florida freshman is slated to race the 200, 400, and 800 freestyle, along with the 400 IM, at the Games next month in what will be her first long course meet since the Olympics.

Hussey, who led off Canada’s 4×200 free relay that finished 13th in Paris, showed strong form at the recent Canadian Trials with a personal best of 52.24 in the 100 butterfly (4th place), along with times of 49.26 in the 100 free (6th) and 1:49.15 in the 200 frees (6th). The North Carolina swimmer holds personal bests of 49.14 and 1:47.78 in the free events. He will swim the 100 and 200 free, as well as the 100 and 200 fly, in Berlin.

Among the standout selections is Shona Branton, who despite not being an Olympian, brings significant potential in breaststroke events. The Western University swimmer touched 4th in the 100 breast at the Trials last month in 1:07.79. Her credentials include lifetime bests of 30.75 in the 50 breast and 1:06.59 in the 100, both achieved at the Luxembourg Euro Meet in January 2024. While she wasn’t able to match those times at subsequent Trials meets, including a 4th-place showing at 2024 Olympic Trials, if she can replicate her personal best in the 100, which is the only event she will swim in Berlin, she could be a gold medal contender.

The team will be led by Martin Gingras from Baie d’Urfé, Quebec, who serves in a leadership role within Swimming Canada’s Olympic coaching program. He’ll be supported by team manager Bette El-Hawary of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and head coach Chrystèle Roy-L’Ecuyer, based in Montreal and Greenfield Park. Roy-L’Ecuyer, also head coach of the Montréal Carabins, was part of the coaching staff for Canada at last year’s short-course World Championships.

Athlete selections were made based on performances at designated nomination events and adherence to set standards. The full breakdown of selection priorities, per Swimming Canada, as well as the event roster, is provided below.

• Priority 1 – Individual Nomination: From the combined ranking of the results of Nomination Events 1, 2, 3 and 4, the highest-ranked eligible Swimmer, per event, achieving the 2025 FISU Games Nomination Standard (Appendix B) will be nominated.
• Priority 2 – Individual Nomination: From the combined ranking of the results of All Nomination Events, the highest-ranked Swimmers, per event, achieving the 2025 FISU Games Nomination Standard (Appendix B) will be nominated, up to a maximum of two Swimmers per event, inclusive of those Swimmers nominated under Priority 1.
• Priority 3 – Relay’s nomination: The Swimming Canada Selection Committee has the discretion to nominate up to 4 male and 4 female relay-only Swimmers to enhance relays based on the recommendation of the High Performance Director.

Nomination Events:

• Event 1: Canadian Swimming Championships, July 24-30, 2024, Toronto, Ontario (Note: only times achieved in ‘A Finals’ are eligible to be ranked, with the exception of timed finals)
• Event 2: 2024 Olympic & Paralympic Trials, Presented by Bell (Note: This Nomination Event is only for Swimmers nominated to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games)
• Event 3: Paris 2024 Olympic Games
• Event 4: Canberra 2024 Junior Pan Pacific Championships
• Event 5: Canadian Swimming Open April 10-12, 2025, Edmonton, Alberta

Women’s Roster:

Men’s Roster: