Wog leaves nothing to chance

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/06/2021 (1286 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In 2016, Kelsey Wog missed a shot at representing her country at the Rio Summer Olympics by a mere 0.3 seconds in her favourite event, the 200-metre women’s breaststroke.

Five years later, the 22-year-old Winnipegger left nothing to chance.

On Tuesday night, she dominated the 200 breaststroke at the Canadian Olympic Swimming Trials in Toronto with a wire-to-wire victory for a gold medal in her signature race at the Pan Am Sports Centre.

It was the University of Manitoba student’s final race of the trials, which wrap up Wednesday.

“I’m excited,” said Wog via telephone. “It hasn’t set in yet. I’m just happy and I’m excited for a day off tomorrow to kind of process what’s just happened.”

Wog clocked a time of 2:23.40, which was more than two seconds faster than silver medallist Kierra Smith of Kelowna, B.C., who finished in 2:25.73. Avery Wiseman of Edmonton was third in 2:26.85.

Wog beat the Olympic A qualifying standard of 2:25.52 but was hoping to swim faster.

“It was a little bit slower than what I’ve kind of trained for but I mean, it was the third day of racing in a row where it’s been like really emotionally and physically draining, so I can’t be too upset with that,” said Wog.

U of M coach Vlastik Cerny was pleased with the result but suggested circumstances dictated the slower time.

“The training had gone faster and that’s what the plan was but I think the emotion of the first day, making the (Olympic) team and all that, maybe sometimes the emotion just piles up,” said Cerny. “But it was a solid race.”

Wog could be swimming in four events when she competes at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo next month.

Earlier in the meet, Wog also qualified for the Olympics by winning gold in the 100-metre breaststroke and earning a silver medal in the 200-metre individual medley.

Her victory in the 100 breaststroke also makes her a lock for the 4×100-metre medley relay.

“As a coach you’re never happy and as an athlete, when you’ve got slightly higher goals time-wise, you won’t be happy but it is a huge accomplishment,” said Cerny. “She had three events. She qualified in all three events, so that it really good.”

 

Wog and Cerny will remain in Toronto until Saturday, receiving their second COVID-19 vaccine shots before flying off to Vancouver to train with the Olympic team. The Canadian swim team will leave for Japan on July 16.

Toronto’s Sydney Pickrem, who had been pre-selected to swim the 200 breaststroke for Canada in Tokyo, did not participate in the 200 breaststroke final despite qualifying. She chose instead to save herself for Wednesday’s 400-metre individual medley.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @sawa14