Olympic gold medalist Maggie MacNeil will lead the Canadian squad at the 2023 Pan Am Games, Swimming Canada announced on Thursday.
It sets up a busy racing calendar for MacNeil, who will swim at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, in July, then the Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile, from Oct. 21-25. Last summer, MacNeil opted not to swim individual events at the World Championships in Budapest, but after a stellar NCAA season, she’s ready to take on a loaded calendar in her first post-grad year.
“I’m really excited to be able to represent Canada at my first Pan Am Games,” MacNeil said in a press release. “I remember when Toronto hosted it in 2015 it was such a big deal. I’m really excited to be going to Chile because they’re going to host such an amazing Games. The Pan American Games are such important stepping stones with the Olympic Games usually happening the following year. It will be great for our team to get that village experience and practice in a major Games environment. Things may go wrong or not go according to plan in that environment and that’s just practicing for the big show the next year.”
MacNeil is one of 11 Olympians in the 36-person squad, which includes 18 men and 18 women. Among them national team mainstays like Mary-Sophie Harvey, Sydney Pickrem, Katerine Savard, Finlay Knox and Javier Acevedo. The group also features several American collegians – including Ella Varga, Mabel Zavaros, Brooklyn Douthwright and Eduoard Fullum-Huot – who will step away from the college season.
The roster was culled based on performances at the recent Bell Canadian Trials. Nineteen of the swimmers slated for Pan Ams will also represent Canada at Worlds.
Canada won 15 swimming medals at the 2019 Pan Am Games in Lima, with one gold, eight silver and six bronze. Tessa Cieplucha, who won the gold in the women’s 400 IM in Lima, is not in the squad.
Scott Talbot, head coach of Swimming Canada’s High Performance Centre Vancouver, will be the head coach of the squad.
“This is an important year building into 2024 from World Aquatics Championships to Pan Am Games, with Olympic qualification at another world championships early next year and into our Trials,” Swimming Canada High Performance Director John Atkinson said. “This year we’ve tried to take a common-sense, individual approach with our swimmers, having different athletes race at different events. This will be a very experienced group, along with first-time team members going to the Games. Thanks to the support of the Canadian Olympic Committee, we look forward to a fantastic Games environment on the pathway to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
Team Canada for the 2023 Pan Am Games
Javier Acevedo, Sophie Angus, Alex Axon, Jeremy Bagshaw, Timothe Barbeau, Katrina Bellio, Stephen Calkins, Benjamin Cote, James Dergousoff, Raben Dommann, Brooklyn Douthwright, Emma Finlin, Katie Forrester, Édouard Fullum-Huot, Collyn Gagne, Maddy Gatrall, Danielle Hanus, Mary-Sophie Harvey, Finlay Knox, Maggie MacNeil, Gabriel Mastromatteo, Hugh McNeill, Ben Miller, Rachel Nicol, Emma O’Croinin, Keir Ogilvie, Laila Oravsky, Sydney Pickrem, Katerine Savard, Rebecca Smith, Brayden Taivassalo, Blake Tierney, Ella Varga, Kelsey Wog, Yu Tong Wu, Mabel Zavaros