ANNAMAY PIERSE WINS 200 BREASTSTROKE SHOWDOWN AT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TRIALS

Posted in Swimming

canada swimming logo.jpgVICTORIA, CAN: (March 30, 2011) -   World record holder Annamay Pierse of Edmonton withstood a strong challenge from Martha McCabe of Vancouver on Wednesday to win the gold medal in the women's 200-metre breaststroke at the world championship trials in swimming.

Both swimmers will be on the Canadian team for the FINA World Aquatic Championships this July in Shanghai, China.  In all 10 Canadian swimmers earned a ticket to the Far East on Wednesday.

Pierse was the fastest at every split and finished in two minutes and 24.18 seconds.  McCabe, a world championship finalist in 2009, followed in 2:24.43 and Tera Van Beilen of Oakville, Ont., was third in 2:28.41.

‘'Martha is always a great competitor and it's great to be pushing each other,'' said the Vancouver-based Pierse, coming back from a rough 2010 season which included a bout with dengue fever after the Commonwealth Games.  ‘'It was a little harder than this morning and I'm still trying to get back into the shape.  Still, it's a good swim and I know I have a lot to do to get better.''

McCabe delivered the race she wanted at this point in the season.

‘'It felt great to be able to close the gap on Annamay,'' said McCabe.  ‘'I definitely needed to come here and have a solid swim for my confidence.''

Julia Wilkinson of Stratford, Ont., broke her Canadian record in the women's 50-metre backstroke which is not a qualifying event for the worlds. Wilkinson, now based in Victoria, clocked 28.13 seconds to eclipse her previous mark of 28.47 set last summer.  

‘'I was bit worried before the final because my prelim swim was not very good,'' said Wilkinson.  ‘'Plus I don't usually race well here, but I had some great support and that really helped me.''

In the men's 200 breaststroke, Mike Brown of Perth, Ont., grabbed a spot on the world team clocking 2:12.39 as did Scott Dickens of Vancouver placing second in 2:13.39.  Brown, a world championship silver medallist in 2005, came out of retirement this year to chase a spot on the 2012 Olympic team.

‘'This is the first stepping stone towards London,'' said Brown, now based in Calgary.  ‘'I'm really enjoying my comeback, I have a whole new appreciation for the sport.''

The biggest surprise of the night was the women's 400 freestyle as Samantha Cheverton of Pointe-Claire, Que., won the gold in 4:09.67.  Barbara Jardin of Montreal took the silver in 4:10.32 and Brittany MacLean of Etobicoke, Ont., was third in 4:11.02.

‘'I'm really happy with it,'' said Jardin, who also went under the qualifying standard for the world championships with Cheverton to gain a spot on the team.  ‘'I was hoping to go around that time.  It feels great to make the world team on the first day.''

In the men's 200 butterfly, Stefan Hirniak of Victoria threatened his Canadian record finishing in 1:57.42 and qualifying for the worlds.

‘'It's such a relief and such a great feeling,'' said Hirniak, whose national mark still stands at 1:57.01.  ‘'The trials have always been the hardest part of swimming for me for the last five years and to be one of the first guys on the team is pretty fantastic.''

In the women's 200 butterfly, Audrey Lacroix of Montreal was first in 2:08.61 and 17-year-old Katerine Savard of Quebec City also went under the qualifying standard finishing in 2:10.10.

‘'I'm very excited about making the team,'' said Savard.  ‘'I did much better than in the preliminaries with a much better finish. I want to be a contender for the finals at this year at worlds.''

Olympic medallist Ryan Cochrane of Victoria had a spot in the team already locked up but still delivered a strong swim to win the men's 400 freestyle in 3:49.30.

‘'I don't think you can ever relax when you go into a competition,'' said Cochrane.  ‘'I really wanted to get some good times going into the summer because that's when it's really going to count.''

Wednesday's leading results at the world championship trials in swimming in Victoria:

MEN

50 backstroke: 1. Charles Francis, Montreal, 26.08; 2. Matthew Swanston, Newmarket, Ont., 26.11; 3. Matt Hawes, Ottawa, 26.41.
200 breaststroke: 1. Mike Brown, Calgary, 2:12.39; 2. Scott Dickens, Vancouver, 2:13.39; 3. Warren Barnes, Toronto, 2:14.35.
200 butterfly: 1. Stefan Hirniak, Victoria, 1:57.42; 2. Zack Chetrat, Oakville, Ont., 1:58.88; 3. Mack Darragh, Oakville, Ont., 2:01.37.
400 freestyle: 1. Ryan Cochrane, Victoria, 3:49.30; 2. Chad Bobrosky, Calgary, 3:51.72; 3. Ray Betuzzi, Calgary, 3:56.90.

WOMEN

50 backstroke: 1. Julia Wilkinson, Victoria, 28.13; 2. Sinead Russell, Oakville, Ont., 28.98; 3. Kary Murdoch, Calgary, 29.06.
200 breaststroke: 1. Annamay Pierse, Vancouver, 2:24.18; 2. Martha McCabe, Vancouver, 2 :24.43; 3. Tera Van Beilen, Oakville, Ont., 2 :28.41.
200 butterfly: 1. Audrey Lacroix, Montreal, 2:08.61; 2. Katerine Savard, Quebec City, 2:10.10; 3. Tanya Hunks, Vancouver, 2:11.73.
400 freestyle: 1. Samantha Cheverton, Pointe-Claire, Que., 4:09.67; 2. Barbara Jardin, Montreal, 4:10.32; 3. Brittany MacLean, Etobicoke, Ont., 4:11.02.

Canadians qualified for world championships after day one of trials
Men (4): Ryan Cochrane, Victoria; Mike Brown, Calgary; Scott Dickens, Vancouver; Stefan Hirniak, Victoria;
Women (6): Samantha Cheverton, Pointe-Claire, Que.; Barbara Jardin, Montreal; Annamay Pierse, Vancouver; Martha McCabe, Vancouver; Audrey Lacroix, Montreal; Katerine Savard, Quebec City;

 Full results at: https://swimming.ca/liveresults/11worldtrials/index.htm

Live Streaming: CBC.ca and SwimCanWeb.tv will host live webcasts of finals on their respective websites.
 
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Media Release issued by Swimming Canada.