Strong Finish for Canadian Juniors at Victoria Age-Group Championships

MELBOURNE, Australia, January 14. CURTIS Lutsch of Calgary, Jordan Hartney of Richmond, B.C., and Melanie Dodds of Langley, B.C. won two individual medals apiece on Friday to conclude a superb performance for the Canadian team at the Victoria State Age Group Swimming Championships.

Canada, fielding its National Youth and Junior Team, won 10 gold, two silver and six bronze medals on Friday to end the five-day meet with 86 medals. The competition was held in the same pool that will be used for the Commonwealth Games in March. Lutsch lifted his personal medal total to five with his first two victories of the competition. He placed first in the 400-meter freestyle and 400 individual medley for 15-year-olds.

Zsofi Balazs of Toronto notched her sixth gold and eighth medal overall, tops on the Canadian team, with a victory in the women’s 400 freestyle for 15-year-olds while Natalie Hagan of Etobicoke, Ont., was third.

Hartney took gold in the junior men’s 200 butterfly and added silver in the 200 IM just ahead of Bruno Langlois of Quebec City, who was in third. Dodds was victorious in the women’s 200 breaststroke for 16-year-olds and added a bronze in the 200 butterfly.

In the junior women’s 800 freestyle, Stephanie Horner of Beaconsfield won her fourth gold of the competition while Sarah Mayzes of Victoria was third and Lauren Lavigna of Vancouver fourth. Kayla Rawlings of Langley won the junior women’s 200 butterfly with clubmate Katie Kotlowski third.

Other Canadian winners were Evan Buck of Guelph, Ont., in the junior men’s 100 backstroke, Jonathan Blouin of Quebec City with his fourth gold of the meet in the men’s 200 butterfly for 16-year-olds and the women’s 200 medley relay with Harriman, Helen Pitchik of Toronto, Horner and Laura Murray of St. John’s, Nfld.

Canada was second and third in the junior women’s 100 backstroke with Amy Harriman of Hamilton grabbing the silver and Karah Stanworth-Belleville of Beaconsfield, Que. taking the bronze.

Other Canadian finalists were Anne Schmuck of Victoria and Kayla Rawlings of Langley in fifth and sixth in the junior women’s 200 IM and Greg Gerum of Hamilton placing ninth in the 200 butterfly for 16-year-olds.

Canadian coach Bill Humby was impressed with the Canadian team’s stamina.

"Along with all the racing our kids swam 50,000 meters a week in training and still everyday they stepped up to the plate," said Humby. "In addition, the trip affected the kids’ Christmases and the traveling wasn’t easy either with some taking as long as 42 hours to get here. Still they had fun and got it done."

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