This ‘no swimming’ thing is all wet

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This article was published 27/04/2020 (2219 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kelsey Wog should be pouring every ounce of her being into competitive swimming right now, quite possibly preparing for her Olympic debut.

Instead, dad’s got her raking the lawn.

“I’ve been helping with the yard work, I’ve been going on a lot of long bike rides with my family, just a lot of family time,” Wog, 21, said recently. “I never set an alarm, I just wake up whenever. I usually do some exercise and some studying, then lunch, then do some more exercising and that’s about it.

“I’ve just been taking it day by day, making the best of it.”

Wog hasn’t sliced through the pool since mid-March after Swimming Canada postponed the national team Olympic trials, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Less than two weeks later, the Tokyo Games were postponed.

“It’s been six weeks, maybe. I honesty think this is the longest I’ve gone not swimming since I was 11,” said Wog, named the University of Manitoba Bisons female athlete of the year earlier this month. “The first bit of not swimming didn’t feel real. Then, it sunk in and things were hard. But now, I’ve slowly been finding a new routine, and things are getting much better.”

There is a light at the end of the swimming lane — plans for the potential restart of the national team program are underway.

If the health crisis has abated, Canada plans to host an invitational camp, Aug. 25-29, reuniting the top open water and pool swimmers together and refocus for a busy, challenging year ahead.

“Our swimmers have missed out on the opportunity to compete at an Olympic or Paralympic Games this year, so we are looking at the next best opportunities to bring them together to bond, train and compete at a high level,” John Atkinson, Canada’s high performance director and national coach, said in a statement.

“We realize plans may have to change as the global pandemic situation continues to evolve, but we thought it was important to announce what our plans would be. We have been consulting with many of our top athletes and coaches and engaging them in this process, which is based on the best available information that we have right now.”

Wog said that kind of optimistic thinking really excites her.

“I’m happy they’re taking a step forward and recognizing we as athletes are taking a huge break from the national team right now and will need to get back on it soon,” said the former world silver medallist (2016) in the 200-metre breaststroke. She was also on the Canadian team at the 2019 worlds in Korea, placing sixth in the 200-m breaststroke and 15th in the 200-m individual medley.

“(The program) has kept in really good contact with the athletes. The coaches have been doing weekly meetings with us, just to keep us up-to-date on what’s happening.”

Canada would look to send a larger team than usual to the world championships, scheduled for Dec. 15-20 in Abu Dhabi.

Swimming Canada also finalized the dates for the ’21 Olympic trials, slotting them in April 7–11.

Wog was primed and ready to book her ticket to Tokyo this year. In February, she dominated the 2020 U SPORTS championships, winning four gold medals. She also set the fastest time in the world at the time in the 200-m individual medley, while sweeping the breaststroke events.

“I was having a fantastic season, I was super prepared for the trials and I felt really ready to perform to the best of my abilities,” said the 5-6 dynamo.

Wog will need a total re-set to prepare for the trials a year from now and another shot at the Summer Games in 15 months, assuming the world has shifted to some kind of new normal.

“I’ve kind of been thinking about it, but I’ve been taking a break from it, too,” she said. “I know I’ll be ready to go when the season starts up again.”

 

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell