Another successful evening for Team BC in swimming
Team BC hauled more medals out of the Pan Am Pool in Winnipeg Wednesday evening.
Swimmers won 11 medals: three gold, five silver and three bronze, pushing BC’s total to 27 medals after three days of swimming at the 2017 Canada Summer Games.
With Wednesday’s podium performances, BC now has several multiple medallists in swimming at the Games.
Raben Dommann (North Vancouver) won his third gold medal taking the men’s 400m freestyle race in a time of 4:02.34. “It’s a great swim for me. At the beginning of the year, my coach and I looked at times. We said at the end of the year, if I can go 4:02, that sets me up for next season and keep on building on that until 2020 in the Olympic year. I accomplished what I wanted to this year.”
Less than one hour later, he was back in the water swimming the men’s 4x100m relay. Team BC took silver with Tyler Wall (Penticton) swimming the anchor leg. The silver for Wall is his fifth of the Games. Earlier in the evening, he took the bronze in the 100m backstroke. “It actually hurt this time,” said Wall, describing his anchor leg of the race. “I was hurting quite a bit, but I gave it my all.”
The women’s 4x100m relay team took silver on Wednesday, with Jessica Luo (Victoria) swimming the anchor leg. She now has four medals at the Games. “I am just super happy and super proud of the three girls that were ahead of me. They put me in a really good place. I am really proud of my fourth medal.”
Jesse Shade (Campbell River) earned his third gold medal in Winnipeg, winning the 100m backstroke Special Olympics race. “The person I have to thank the most is my mum for waking me up at five in the morning, just to take me to practice.”
He was joined on the podium by Cam Chambers (Kamloops) who won silver. “It really is awesome. I feel so confident. I really want to make the crowd happy.”
Team BC Swimming Results – Wednesday
GOLD – DOMMANN, Raben (North Vancouver) – 400m freestyle
GOLD – VERGE, Genny (Sechelt) – 100m backstroke Special Olympics
GOLD – SHADE, Jesse (Campbell River) – 100m backstroke Special Olympics
SILVER – CHAMBERS, Cam (Kamloops)- 100m backstroke Special Olympics
SILVER – KLENK, Haley (Chilliwack) – 100m backstroke
SILVER – HERBERT, Bailey – 200m breaststroke
SILVER – Men’s 4x100m freestyle relay: DOMMANN, Raben (North Vancouver; KRANJC, Thomas (Tsawwassen); KIM, Joshua (Langley); WALL, Tyler (Penticton)
SILVER – Women’s 4x100m freestyle relay: TURVEY, Alexandra (Vancouver); BENN, Acacia (Penticton); McCALLUM, Amanda (Richmond); LUO, Jessica (Victoria)
BRONZE – WALL, Tyler (Penticton) – 100m backstroke
BRONZE – FROH, Zoe (New Westminster) – 400m freestyle
BRONZE – BRENNAN, Aimee (Tsawwassen)- 100m Para butterfly
Team BC Quotes
VERGE, Genny (Sechelt) 100m backstroke Special Olympics – gold
On winning two medals at the Games
“I am very honoured to be here to be able to showcase my sport and do what I love. I am very happy to be here.”
KLENK, Haley (Chilliwack) 100m backstroke – silver
On winning her first medal of the Canada Games
“It’s amazing. It’s shocking. I didn’t really expect that. I was hoping to maybe squeeze into a third. But it’s really exciting. I kept looking at the clock and thought that doesn’t match up.
I took off a second an a bit off my best time.”
HERBERT, Bailey (Langley) – 200m breaststroke
On winning two medals at the Games
“Right now it’s kind of surreal. I was coming to the Games hoping to swim my best and race really great people. To get two medals, a gold and silver, is just incredible.
KRANJC, Thomas (Penticton) – 4X100m freestyle relay – silver
“The second 100 was really fast. Everyone was out fast. I tried to keep up with the guys and tried to pull ahead a bit. Swimming with these guys is quite amazing.”
WALL, Tyler (Penticton) – 100m backstroke – bronze
“I am not happy with that race. It wasn’t my best and I added time.”
FROH, Zoe (New Westminster) – 400m freestyle – bronze
On winning her first medal of the Games
“Oh my god, it’s absoutely amazing. The atmosphere is here is so crazy. There is so much sound. It’s so great.
On Team BC’s performance in the pool
“Everyone is getting medals, I am so proud of all of us. One person gets a medal, another person says I want one of those.”
BRENNAN, Aimee (Tsawwassen) – 100m Para butterfly – bronze
On winning her first medal at the Games
“I am pretty happy with it. I was wanting to go a little faster. But I am still pretty happy with the outcome. The race felt good.”
On Team BC’s performance
“I think we just put together a really strong team. Everyone is great in and out of the pool. Everyone is so supportive, cheering each other. We feed off each other. If one gets a medal, everyone else tries to do the same thing.”