Van Landeghem swims to China

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This article was published 04/04/2011 (5620 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Chantal Van Landeghem felt so good about her stroke following her 50-metre freestyle final Saturday night in Victoria that she wanted to swim all the way to China.

She won’t have to.

Given her efforts over the past week, the 17-year-old will be able to take a flight like everyone else.

Van Landeghem booked her ticket to Shanghai and the 2011 FINA World Aquatics Championships at the World Swimming Trials over the weekend, qualifying for a spot on the Canadian national senior team in the 100-metre freestyle and the 50m-freestyle events.

“It’s pretty humbling,” she said via phone Saturday. “I had so much support from my friends and teammates back home. People were writing on my Facebook wall and texting me — I felt happier getting all that support than actually making the team.”

The lone Manitoban on the national team, Van Landeghem earned a roster invite in the 100m freestyle final Thursday night, finishing third (55.15) behind winner Julia Wilkinson (54.93) and Victoria Poon (55.11).

Relaxed knowing she was already on the senior team, she followed that up with a 50m freestyle swim of 25.43 Saturday evening, a time that was good enough for second spot in the pool (behind Poon’s 25.35) and more importantly for Van Landeghem, equaled the FINA A-standard qualifying mark.

“It was a close call, but I just made it,” she laughed. “That was important to me — I wanted to added a second event to my schedule. I wasn’t really sure what to expect coming in but I’m really happy with the results. You’re always nervous when you have to do something like this.”

Rising to the occasion is becoming old hat for the Vincent Massey (Winnipeg) Grade 11 student when it comes to competition. Van Landeghem, who trains at the Manta Swim Club with coach Tom Hainey, has been competing at a national and international level for a few years now, understanding the pressure to perform and learning how various stresses along the way impact her before she hits the water.

That weight is starting to float away, she says.

“I’m getting used to it a little bit,” she said, crediting her comfort in these situations to the work she’s done with a sports psychologist at the Canadian Sport Centre. “Before the 100-metre, I was really nervous the night before, just because of what’s at stake. It was hard for me to relax but at the same time, I noticed it was a different kind of energy.

“I was nervous, but things were a little more under control.”

Up next for Van Landeghem is an extensive preparation for the worlds. She’ll be joining the national team for a nine-week staging camp in Arizona to get ready for China, before heading off to Singapore for a similar team-building exercise two weeks before the July championships.

Van Landeghem was one of six Manitobans competing at the World Trials in Victoria.

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