2024 Bell Olympic & Paralympic Trials: Team ROCS Shines Bright
2024 Bell Olympic & Paralympic Trials: Team ROCS Shines Bright
The 2024 Bell Olympic & Paralympic Trials were a showcase of Canada’s swimming talent, held with much fanfare and anticipation from May 13-19th at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre. Coach Nico led the ROCS team with members Arthur Galiano, Logan Milne, Olivier Risk, and Finn Tuck all qualifying to participate in the event. Featuring 865 swimmers from over 150 teams, this meet was the quadrennial pinnacle of swimming in Canada and was used to determine Team Canada for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Highlights for Team ROCS:
Arthur Galiano
Arthur Galiano, one of the youngest qualifiers at the meet, swam close to his personal best times. Competing in the 100m and 200m breaststroke, Arthur finished 44th and 46th respectively. "I was impressed by the caliber of competition at Trials, especially Oliver Dawson's 200 breast and national age group record," said Arthur, highlighting his admiration for the level of competition.
Logan Milne
Logan Milne had a phenomenal performance, swimming three out of three best times and qualifying for a second swim in the 200m breaststroke, where he finished 8th overall in the Junior category. He broke all his previous club records in the process. Reflecting on his journey, Logan remarked, "I am most happy with my composure and attitude during the week-long competition."
Finn Tuck
Finn Tuck achieved a significant milestone by making his first-ever national level final, finishing 18th in the B final of the 100m backstroke. Additionally, Finn broke the open club records in his 100m free and 50m free time trial events. "I took in the week learning from the elite level swimmers at the competition," Finn said, showcasing his appreciation for the experience.
Olivier Risk
Olivier Risk competed for both UBC (where he has just finished first year) and ROCS, participating in the 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle events. He achieved personal bests in the 800m and 1500m freestyle, finishing 8th in the 800m and an impressive 3rd in the 1500m. "It was good, and I am happy with my results," Olivier commented, satisfied with his performance. His exceptional showing in the 1500m freestyle (going from 10th to 3rd in the finals) earned him a selection to Team Canada for the World Junior Open Water competition in Italy this September.
Coach’s Reflections
Coach Nico expressed immense pride in the team’s performances, noting the growth and dedication each swimmer displayed. "Seeing our swimmers compete against Canada's best and achieving personal milestones under the pressure of this meet is incredibly rewarding." He also added how special it was to witness a World Record swim by Summer McIntosh, whose performance in the 400 IM took over a second off her previous best: “Summer is a generational talent in swimming and is thrilling to watch every time she hits the water - I can’t wait to see what she’ll do in Paris!”
Special Support
Maisie from AC White and her mom Christine made the trip down to take in the spectacle and cheer for the ROCS swimmers on Tuesday for heats and finals. As well, Coach Dawn came down and helped as a volunteer with Swimming Canada over the weekend. Their cheers and encouragement added a vibrant energy to the atmosphere, with many of the event winners remarking on the crowd support during their post-race interviews.
(Maisie at TPASC cheering on her favourite swimmers!)
Looking Ahead
With the Trials concluded, the rest of the season looks bright for Team ROCS. Olivier Risk’s upcoming participation in the World Junior Open Water competition in Italy marks the second time he has represented Canada at this level. He will be racing the 10 km event and a 1.5km relay off the coast of Sardinia from September 6-8th.
In the meantime, the same four swimmers will compete at the Canadian Swimming Championships in late July, once again at the Toronto Pan Am pool. At that meet, unlike Trials, there will be team scoring and relays, so we will get to see how our ROCS athletes rank as a group.
The 2024 Bell Olympic & Paralympic Trials were a testament to the hard work and dedication of Canada’s young swimming talents, with numerous national records and Olympic Qualifying Times falling over the seven days of competition. Our four swimmers held their own over the week and proved they are all able to perform their best on this biggest national stage, and for that we say loud and proud: ROCS ROCK!
