{"id":479482,"date":"2021-06-23T16:23:42","date_gmt":"2021-06-23T23:23:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=479482"},"modified":"2021-06-23T16:23:42","modified_gmt":"2021-06-23T23:23:42","slug":"canadian-olympic-trials-16-year-old-katrina-bellio-hits-1500-free-a-cut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/canadian-olympic-trials-16-year-old-katrina-bellio-hits-1500-free-a-cut\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian Olympic Trials: 16-year-old Katrina Bellio hits 1,500 Free A Cut"},"content":{"rendered":"

Canadian Olympic Trials: 16-year-old Katrina Bellio hits 1,500 A Cut<\/strong><\/p>\n

At age 16, Katrina Bellio<\/strong> can\u2019t lay claim to the title of the next young star on the Canadian distance block. In a world with 14-year-old Summer McIntosh<\/strong> dropping time like it\u2019s going out of style, Bellio is almost aged.<\/p>\n

But just like her long-time Etobicoke swim club teammate, Bellio sent a message that she\u2019s one to watch for the future.<\/p>\n

Bellio won the 1,500 freestyle at Canadian Olympic Trials Wednesday night, a time of 16:29.67. That is more than two seconds under the FINA A standard, which mean Bellio is headed to the Tokyo Olympics.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s sunk in yet,\u201d Bellio said. \u201cI\u2019m still in shock. It\u2019s incredible to be 16 years old and be nominated for the Olympics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bellio has had a quietly stellar meet to cap an eventful spring. She dropped 3.5 seconds in the 800 free on Monday, finishing second to McIntosh with a swim that she credits with giving her the confidence heading into the meet\u2019s final day.<\/p>\n