Ryan Cochrane To Lead 10-Person Canadian Squad At Short Course World Championships

OTTAWA, Canada, September 16. CANADA will send 10 athletes to this December’s short course world swimming championships in Qatar, hoping to continue a successful year that included medals at the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific championships.

Canada has not put a full focus on the short course world championships, so the low number of athletes attending is not a surprise. Plus, the senior squad just completed six weeks of international travel to the aforementioned meets, so a break is in order before another two-meet block of racing next year at the Pan American Games and world championships. It’s likely that the next short course worlds will be heavy on swimmers wearing the Maple Leaf on their caps, as Canada will host the 2016 version in Windsor.

Ryan Cochrane will be the headliner of the team. He won the 400 and 1500 freestyles at the Commonwealth Games this year and gold in the 1500 free at the Pan Pacific championships. Despite his long history of international racing, Cochrane has never attended the short course world championships, so he’ll get the chance to add this meet to his accomplished list of competitions. After years of swimming in the shadows of Grant Hackett, Ous Mellouli and Sun Yang, Cochrane will be looked on to win his first world title, short course or long course.

Russell Wood will be the other Canadian male at the meet, likely racing in the backstroke events after representing Canada twice this summer.

Audrey Lacroix is a veteran of the short course world championships, having won bronze in the 200 fly at the 2004 edition in Indianapolis. She will be a solid medal contender after winning the 200 fly at the Commonwealth Games this year, though that will depend on how deep the field is in Doha in December.

Hilary Caldwell, the reigning long course world championship bronze medalist in the 200 backstroke, and Martha McCabe, the 2011 world championship bronze medalist in the 200 breaststroke, add more prestige to the women’s roster.

Men’s roster: Ryan Cochrane and Russell Wood

Women’s roster: Hilary Caldwell, Genevieve Cantin, Audrey Lacroix, Martha McCabe, Emily Overholt, Kierra Smith, Tera Van Beilen, Michelle Smith

Coaches: Randy Bennett and Ken McKinnon

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