The Gopher Digital Productions crew did a feature on Minnesota swimmers Kierra Smith<\/strong>, Jakub Maly<\/strong> and Sam Harding<\/strong> discussing their goals in representing their respective countries at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.<\/p>\n

Smith, a breaststroker from Canada, recently placed eighth in the 200 breaststroke and 21st in the 100 breast at the 2015 World Championships. She was also the gold medallist in the 200 breast at the recent Pan American Games. The reigning NCAA Champion in the 200 breast is redshirting her senior year in hopes of making the Olympic team for Canada where the trials begin April 5 in Toronto. Smith will have to finish in the top two as well as finishing under the FINA A standard (1:07.85, 2:26.94) in the event to be able to swim in Rio.<\/p>\n

Harding, another Canadian, will have her best shot to make the team in the open water 10K. She finished 27th in the event at the World Championships and seventh at the Pan American Games. The current Senior finished 18th in the 500 and 21st in the 1650 free at last year’s NCAA championships.<\/p>\n

Maly is a junior from Austria. He finished 20th in the 400 IM (4:19.20) and 21st in the 200 IM (2:01.68) at the recent World Championships. It is unclear what Austria’s Olympic qualifying criteria is but the FINA A standards in the IM events are 2:00.28 and 4:16.71 which Maly is not too far off of. Maly also broke the Minnesota school record at the NCAA Championships last year finishing 25th (1:54.57). He did not swim the 200 breast in Kazan but the FINA A standard for that event is a 2:11.66. Maly will have a chance to qualify at the European Championships in London in May.<\/p>\n