Tierney Takes Down Thormeyer’s Canadian 200 Back Mark As Pickrem, Wog & Khan Join Paris Party & Maple 4×100 Scrapes Through
Blake Tierney, Sydney Pickrem, Kelsey Wog and Ilya Kharun stamped tickets to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on day 5 of Canadian Trials in Toronto, Tierney’s 1:56.74 a Canadian record 200m backstroke record.
There was disappointment and joy in the women’s 100m free final: none got inside the solo cut but Penny Oleksiak, Mary-Sophie Harvey, Brooklyn Douthwright and Taylor Ruck checked into the 4x100m free, selector confirmation pending, in a Canadian pool still reverberating from the storm of a 4:24.38 World record from Summer McIntosh in the 400m medley the night before.
Already over the selection line in the 100m this week, 22-year-old Tierney, of Saskatoon and based at the HPC-Vancouver, shattered his previous personal best of 1:59.71 to get inside Markus Thormeyer’s 2019 national mark of 1:56.96.
“I’ve been practising a lot of backstroke,” Tierney said. “I’ve been practising, honestly, more so for the 100, but it translated well to the 200. I’ve been training for the 200 free, it didn’t go the way I wanted, but the training paid off in the 200 backstroke instead.
“I felt like pressure had been lifted off my shoulders after the 100 backstroke when I qualified. So I just went out there, tried to have the best race I could, and didn’t really think about a Canadian record or making the team in it. I just wanted to have the best time, and I did that, so I’m really happy with it.”
Blake Tierney by Ian MacNicol
Pickrem & Wog On 2:23 Qualifiers
Other athletes achieving the Olympic Qualifying Time and qualifying under Priority 1 to be nominated to the Olympic Team were Sydney Pickrem, representing the Toronto Swim Club, and Kelsey Wog from the University of Manitoba Bisons, who placed 1-2 in the women’s 200 breast in 2:23.79 and 2:23.80, as well as Montreal native Ilya Kharun, who took the men’s 200 butterfly final in 1:54.41.
Pickrem is a two-time Olympian, Wog made her Games debut in Tokyo, while Kharun would be an Olympic rookie.
Kharun Heads For Olympic Debut
“It feels great,” said the 19-year-old Kharun, who missed the podium by 16 hundredths of a second at the 2023 Worlds in a Canadian record time of 1:53.82. “I’d be honoured to represent Canada at the Olympics. I tried to just pace out my race comfortably. The first 100, be there, and just finish strong.”
Finally, in the women’s 100 freestyle, no swimmer met the required time of 53.61 but, as Top 4 swimmers, winner Penny Oleksiak from the Toronto Swim Club (53.66), third-place finisher Brooklyn Douthwright from Club de natation Bleu et Or in Moncton, N.B. (54.33), and Kelowna, B.C., native Taylor Ruck (54.47) qualified to be considered for nomination as relay-only swimmers.
Second-place finisher Mary-Sophie Harvey from Montreal’s CAMO club (53.71), who will also be considered for the 4×100 free relay, had already secured individual qualifying times in the 100 fly and 200 free.
Douthwright would be the first Olympic swimmer from New Brunswick since medley ace Marianne Limpert in 2000, four years after she claimed silver in the 200m medley at Atlanta 1996.
Swimming Canada noted: “Up to 12 relay-only positions will be filled based on the combined times of the Top 4 in each potential relay event. While Swimming Canada has qualified all seven Olympic relays, relay-only swimmers will be nominated in priority order based on this ranking.
“The Canadian women have reached the podium in the 4×100 free at each of the past two Olympic Games, including silver in Tokyo and bronze in Rio, with Oleksiak and Ruck contributing to both medals.”
Oleksiak On Solo Berth: ‘I’m going to do everything I can to try & secure it’
“I’m obviously not incredibly happy. I’m happy to get on the relay. I’m excited to go. I’m excited to be part of the team,” said Oleksiak, Canada’s most decorated Olympian with seven career medals, including gold in the 100 free in 2016. “Obviously I really want that individual spot so I’m going to do everything I can to try and secure it, but I’m excited to be part of the team right now. That definitely takes some weight off my shoulders.
“I’ve definitely had a lot happening but I’m excited to be here, excited to race and trying to get better for the summer.”
RESULTS in full
Five Days Down, Two to Go:
Paris 2024 Qualifiers (inside the time target, selection pending Canadian Olympic Committee confirmation)
| Name | Hometown | Club | Event(s) |
| Javier Acevedo | Toronto, Ont. | HPC-Ontario | M 100 Back |
| Mary-Sophie Harvey | Trois-Rivières, Que. | CAMO | W 100 Fly & 200 Free |
| Tristan Jankovics | Guelph, Ont. | Royal City Aquatics | M 400 IM |
| Ilya Kharun | Montreal, Que. | Arizona State University | M 200 Fly |
| Yuri Kisil | Calgary, Alta. | Cascade Swim Club | M 100 Free |
| Josh Liendo | Markham, Ont. | HPC-Ontario | M 100 Free |
| Maggie Mac Neil | London, Ont. | London Aquatic Club | W 100 Fly |
| Kylie Masse | LaSalle, Ont. | Toronto Swim Club | W 100 Back, 200 Back |
| Summer McIntosh | Toronto, Ont. | Sarasota Sharks | W 200 Free, 400 Free, 400 IM |
| Sydney Pickrem | Toronto Swim Club | W 200 Breast | |
| Regan Rathwell | Ashton, Ont. | HPC-Ontario | W 200 Back |
| Blake Tierney | Saskatoon, Sask. | HPC-Vancouver | M 100 Back, 200 Back |
| Ingrid Wilm | Calgary, Alta. | Cascade Swim Club | W 100 Back |
| Kelsey Wog | Winnipeg, Man. | University of Manitoba | W 200 Breast |
QUALIFIED FOR NOMINATION (“A” qualifying time): PARIS 2024 PARALYMPIC GAMES (after Day 5 of Trials)
| Name | Hometown | Club | Event(s) | |
| Nicholas Bennett | Parksville, B.C. | Red Deer Catalina SC | M 100 Breast SB14, 200 IM SM14 | |
| Katie Cosgriffe | Burlington, Ont. | Oakville Aquatic Club | W 100 Fly S10 | |
| Danielle Dorris | Moncton, N.B. | CNBO | W 50 Fly S7 | |
| Sabrina Duchesne | Saint-Augustin, Que. | Rouge et Or | W 400 Free S7 | |
| Alec Elliot | Kitchener, Ont. | CNQ | M 200 IM SM10 | |
| Sebastian Massabie | Surrey, B.C. | Pacific Sea Wolves SC | M 100 Free S4 | |
| Reid Maxwell | St. Albert, Alta. | EKSC | M 400 Free S8 | |
| Aurélie Rivard | Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. | CNQ | W 100 Free, 400 Free S10 | |
| Tess Routliffe | Caledon, Ont. | HPC-Quebec | W 50 Fly S7, 100 Breast SB7, 200 IM SM7 | |
| Katarina Roxon | Kippens, N.L. | Aqua Aces Swim Club | W 100 Breast SB8 | |