CANBERRA, Australia – Aiden Norman completed a backstroke sweep as Canada enjoyed another successful day at the Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships Friday in Canberra, Australia.
The 18-year-old from the University of Calgary Swim Club led the men’s 200-m back from start to finish, grabbing gold in a personal best 1:57.67. Gavin Keogh of Team USA was second in 1:58.19, and Ethan Ekk earned bronze in a personal best 1:58.28 to make it a two-Canadian podium.
Norman, won the 100 back by more than a second on Wednesday, enjoyed hearing O Canada from the top step of the podium once again.
“That was amazing, I had to make sure to sing along this time,” he said.
“Day 3 of the meet and I’ve been swimming a lot so I knew I had to be my absolute best tonight to win that 2 back. Those boys really gave me a run for my money but I didn’t underestimate them and I swam my best race even though I’m feeling tired,” said Norman. “I just tried my best to keep my composure.”
Earlier in the session, Julia Strojnowska of Vancouver’s Canadian Dolphin Swim Club got Canada started off with a bronze in the women’s 400-m freestyle. Her time of 4:11.52 was good for third place behind Americans Kennedi Dobson (4:09.46) and Madi Mintenko (4:10.98). Ella Cosgrove of Dorval (Que.) Swim Club was fourth in 4:12.97.
Madison Kryger of Brock Niagara (Ont.) Aquatics just missed another medal, finishing fourth in the women’s 200-m backstroke in 2:12.00. Kryger, who trains part-time at the High Performance Centre – Ontario, earned bronze in the 100 Wednesday.
For the third straight night Canada enjoyed success in the relays, with both the men’s and women’s 4×100-m freestyle earning bronze.
The team of Laon Kim, Ekk, Francis Brennan and Norman combined for a time of 3:19.07 in the men’s event, bringing Norman’s medal total to five. Australia won a close race in 3:18.54, followed by Team USA in 3:18.97.
“It wasn’t perfect but I‘m still happy with the result,” said Kim. “Another medal for Canada is another medal so you can’t complain. Overall all the boys had a really good race and we had fun which is the most important thing.”
“The energy and the vibes from the boys gave me a little burst after that 2 back,” said Norman, one of two returning members from last year’s national junior team. “It was a great race and I’m really proud of these guys for how they showed up.”
On the women’s side, Delia Lloyd, Jenna Walters, Matea Gigovic and Reina Liu turned in a time of 3:42.34. Team USA won in 3:36.49, while the host Australians took silver in 3:39.09.
“I just wanted to get us out to a good start and kind of set the tone for the rest of the relay,” said Lloyd, 18, the other national junior team veteran. “I think we all did a really good job at just fighting and doing our best.”
“It’s so exciting and I’m really honoured to represent my country. It means a lot to me,” added Liu, the youngest member of the group at 14.
The four-day meet wraps up Saturday. The event, held every two years, brings together the best junior swimmers from Charter nations Australia, USA, Canada and Japan. Invitations are also extended to other non-European nations, with regular participants including Singapore and New Zealand. The University of British Columbia Aquatic Centre will host the next edition Aug. 17-20, 2026, in Vancouver.
Full results: https://liveresults.swimming.org.au/sal/2024JPP/