Strong team aims to build on world short course success
Canada will be sending another strong team to the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) as it looks to follow up on its most successful world short-course titles ever.
The 17-member team features six men and 11 women who will represent their country at the event from Dec. 13-18 in Melbourne, Australia. That includes Canada’s most decorated FINA swimmer of all time, Kylie Masse, holder of 14 medals between world short-course and long-course championships. All three of Canada’s individual gold medallists from 2021 will be there as well, including Maggie Mac Neil, who won the 100-m butterfly and 50-m backstroke at last year’s event in Abu Dhabi, setting a world record in the latter. Fellow gold medallists Sydney Pickrem (200-m individual medley) and Tessa Cieplucha (400-m IM) also return from the team that won 15 medals, seven of them gold.
Swimming Canada High Performance Director and National Coach John Atkinson congratulated the 17 swimmers named to the team.
“It is a strong group and we look forward to seeing them race in Melbourne at the FINA World Championships (25m),” he said.
Associate High Performance Director Iain McDonald will take on the role of Team Leader at the championships, while High Performance Centre – Ontario Head Coach Ryan Mallette will serve as Head Coach of a five-person coaching staff. High Performance Centre – Vancouver Assistant Coach Mandy Bell, part of the open water team at this summer’s FINA World Championships in Budapest, will join her first senior pool team since returning to Canada earlier this year. National team veterans Greg Arkhurst of Montreal’s CAMO club, Vlastimil Cerny of University of Manitoba and Dave Johnson of Calgary’s Cascade Swim Club round out the staff.
“We have an experienced staff and I look forward to supporting Team Leader Iain McDonald and Head Coach Ryan Mallette,” Atkinson said. “Ryan will bring a wealth of experience to the team and we have great experience with our selected coaches. It is also great to see Mandy Bell from HPC-Vancouver appointed to her first Swimming Canada senior pool team, to serve alongside Greg Arkhurst, Vlastimil Cerny and Dave Johnson as team coaches.”
Team List:
| WOMEN | |||
| Last Name | First Name | Club | Coach of Record |
| Cieplucha | Tessa | MAC | Kredich, Matt |
| Harvey | Mary-Sophie | CAMO | Arkhurst, Greg |
| MacNeil | Maggie | LAC | Bishop, Rick |
| Masse | Kylie | TSC | Titley, Ben |
| Nicol | Rachel | UCSC | Blondal, Mike |
| Pickrem | Sydney | TSC | Bultman, Steve |
| Ruck | Taylor | SCAR | Meehan, Greg |
| Savard | Katerine | CAMO | Arkhurst, Greg |
| Smith | Rebecca | UCSC | Blondal, Mike |
| Wilm | Ingrid | CASC | Johnson, Dave |
| Wog | Kelsey | UMAN | Cerny, Vlastimil |
| MEN | |||
| Last Name | First Name | Club | Coach of Record |
| Acevedo | Javier | HPC-ONT | Mallette, Ryan |
| Dergousoff | James | HPC-VAN | Bell, Mandy |
| Gaziev | Ruslan | ESWIM | Dorenkott, Bill |
| Kharun | Ilya | UNCAN | Aitken, Ron |
| Kisil | Yuri | CASC | Johnson, Dave |
| Knox | Finlay | HPC-ONT | Mallette, Ryan |
| STAFF | |||
| Atkinson | John | National Coach/Chef de Mission | |
| McDonald | Iain | Team Leader | |
| Hanan | Jan | Team Manager | |
| Mallette | Ryan | Head Coach | |
| Arkhurst | Greg | Team Coach | |
| Cerny | Vlastimil | Team Coach | |
| Johnson | Dave | Team Coach | |
| Bell | Mandy | Team Coach |
Nathan White
| Senior Manager, Communications Gestionnaire supérieur des communications Swimming Canada Natation |
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