Less than 500 days from the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, Katerine Savard and Mary-Sophie Harvey still represent the main hopes of Quebec swimming.
The two CAMO club teammates will try to qualify for the World Championships in Fukuoka in July at the Bell Canadian Swim Trials in Toronto from Tuesday to Sunday.
Savard is aiming for selection in the 100m butterfly and Harvey in the 200m individual medley. A place in the 4 x 200m relay is also realistic for those who had contributed to the Canadian bronze medal at the last Worlds by swimming in the preliminaries (see box).
Since 2010 and his appearance at the Pan Pacific Championships at the age of 16, Savard has never missed a nomination for the Canadian team. The 29-year-old Montrealer obviously wants to continue this streak until 2024.
Newly retired Brent Hayden is the only Canadian male swimmer to compete in four Games, in 2004, 2008, 2012 and, after seven years out of the water, 2021.
“It’s my little dream, my own little medal,” said Savard, who won bronze in the 4x200m freestyle at Rio 2016. for that. »
After a very busy last year, marked by his participation in the Long Course World Championships, the Commonwealth Games, the Toronto World Cup and the 25m World Championships in December in Australia, Savard suffered the blow at the start. of the year.
“Since Christmas, it’s been a little harder on the health side,” she revealed, before clarifying: “I had a few deficiencies. Physically, I was not very well. It was more difficult times. I am very tired. But now it’s better and I’m very happy. »
The native of Pont-Rouge limited herself to three competitions during the winter. “I didn’t really know where I was. So I was not sure if I really wanted to compete before the Trials. Eventually I did a few and it got better and better. »
With her trainer, Greg Arkhurst, she made some changes, focusing more on aerobic volume.
“For a period, I was not very fast. But that’s training, that’s part of our job! We adjust. I have understood in recent years that you should not compare yourself to previous years. »
At the Pro Swim Series in Fort Lauderdale earlier this month, she won silver in the 100 butterfly and bronze in the 50 butterfly. She has not come close to her best times, but she retains the positive.
“I’ve done faster times before at this time of year and that stressed me out a bit. But you have to have perspective. We have done some very good things in training over the past few days. It’s starting to settle down. We try to build on that and build trust. »
Ranked second behind ex-world champion Maggie Mac Neil, Savard will have to hold off Torontonian Rebecca Smith and young Ella Jansen, whom she overtook in Florida. She prefers to think about her own performances.
“Even at my age, with all the experience I have, we are our biggest enemy, huh. Mentally, it’s to stay focused on us. »
Six years younger, Mary-Sophie Harvey nevertheless has a vast background in international swimming. The 200m individual medley will be her main target, but she will also try her luck in the 100m, 200m, 100m butterfly and 200m breaststroke.
“Things are going really well these days,” she enthused. It took a little longer than I would have liked to get back to a competitive level, but I found the little spark that I had lost a little, the last piece of the puzzle. »
The athlete from Trois-Rivières also found his bearings in the waters of the aquatic center of the Swimming Hall of Fame in Fort Lauderdale.
After a personal best in the 100m breaststroke, she approached her peak in the 100m crawl a few minutes later. Disappointed in her 200m, she rebounded in the 200 IM.
“After a race that is not very good, we often question ourselves, underlined the finalist of the last World Championships in Budapest. It was important to show me that this was not the way I had trained. The next day I got on the block and surprised myself with my time. It’s mission accomplished. Couldn’t ask for more for the preparation. »
The 100m butterfly and 200m breaststroke are on the schedule for Savard and Harvey from day one on Tuesday.
The Trials are a selection competition for the World Aquatics (ex-FINA) Championships in Fukuoka (July 14-30), World Para Swimming Championships in Manchester (July 31-August 6), Junior World Championships in Israel (September 4-9) and the Pan American Games in Santiago (October 23-November 5). The events are broadcast in full on the CBC Sports website.
The door is wide open for the 4 x 200m freestyle relay. Young sensation Summer McIntosh, 16, is the huge favourite, but her three team-mates finalists for bronze at the Worlds in Budapest will miss out.
Penny Oleksiak continues her rehabilitation after surgery to repair a ligament in the meniscus of her left knee. During her rehabilitation, the seven-time Olympic medalist experienced “complications” to her other knee and one shoulder. She will therefore miss the first Trials held in public since 2019. Her date of return to competition has not been specified by Swimming Canada.
Taylor Ruck, a three-time relay medalist at the last Worlds, also withdrew Sunday after winning the 200 yard run at the NCAA Championships, citing exhaustion.
For her part, Kayla Sanchez now represents the Philippines, her parents’ native country. Katerine Savard and Mary-Sophie Harvey are respectively second and third in the list of entries.
