Potential Canadian Olympian Markus Thormeyer Commits To Southern California

Photo Courtesy: Swimming Canada/Scott Grant

Agon is the proud sponsor of all high school coverage (recruiting, results, state championships, etc.) on SwimmingWorld.com. For more information about Agon, visit their website AgonSwim.com.

The backstroke and sprint freestyle squads at the University of Southern California got a little bit deeper with a verbal commitment from Canadian national champion Markus Thormeyer.

Thormeyer has the makings of being a top talent in the pool for Canada, and could be a strong successor to the likes of previous 100 free standout Brent Hayden and current star Santo Condorelli. Thormeyer won the 100 free at Canada’s summer national championships in August with a 50.21, qualifying him for the world junior championships. Thormeyer blasted through the 50-second barrier at junior worlds with a 49.76 for sixth place after swimming a 49.59 in semifinals.

Thormeyer has made big strides up the Canadian rankings from junior to senior level. He has great potential for a spot on Canada’s 400 free relay squad that will swim in next year’s Olympics, ranking third among Canadians in the 100 free in 2015. He’s also got a chance to make the team in the backstroke events. He was the second-fastest backstroker in Canada in long course in 2015, making the Pan American Games team in the 100 and 200 backstrokes. He currently owns a best time of 55.03 in the 100 back from his sixth-place finish at junior worlds, and a 2:01.06 in the 200 back from the spring Canadian nationals.

The 18-year-old has little to no racing experience in short course yards, but his long course times convert into points for the Trojans at the Pac 12 championships, where he could be a valuable relay contributor in multiple events. The Trojans’ relays will have Condorelli – who is taking an Olympic redshirt this season – as the anchor, with Thormeyer on the cusp of landing on big relays at the championship meets. The Trojans are a bit weak in the backstrokes, so Thormeyer will be leaned on heavily to contribute immediately in dual meets.

Thormeyer currently trains at the High Performance Center in Vancouver in preparation for his chase of a spot on the Olympic roster.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use