By Jim Morris

A dream come true. Surreal. A long time coming.

The reactions were different but the sentiment was the same for the 16 swimmers who qualified to compete at their first Olympics during the 2024 Olympic & Paralympic Swimming Trials, Presented by Bell.

“It’s something I wanted for a long time,” said Julie Brousseau, 18, of Ottawa who trains with the Nepean Kanata Barracudas. “To see it actually happen is pretty crazy.”

Heading to Paris still doesn’t seem real for Alex Axon of Newmarket, Ont.

“It’s like I’m dreaming a little bit,” said the 21-year-old Markham Aquatic Club representative, who trains at Ohio State University. “I keep waking up and we’re in the same situation.”

Distance swimmer Emma Finlin remembers the night the Olympic team was introduced and she walked onto the pool deck with Olympic medallists such as Maggie Mac Neil, Kylie Masse and Penny Oleksiak.

“It’s pretty intimidating,” said the 19-year-old from the Edmonton Keyano Swim Club. “It’s pretty incredible and a privilege to be up there with them.”

For swimmers such as Apollo Hess, 21, of Lethbridge, Alta., who trains at the High Performance Centre – Ontario; Regan Rathwell, 20, of Ashton, Ont.; and Tristan Jankovics, 20, of Guelph, Ont., who trains with Royal City Aquatics, it’s their first time on a Swimming Canada senior national team.

“I was so excited,” said Rathwell, who trained with the HPC-Ontario and now attends the University of Tennessee. “I could see my parents crying up in the corner. That just made my heart really happy.”

For veterans such as Ingrid Wilm, 25, of Calgary’s Cascade Swim Club, and Victoria’s Jeremy Bagshaw, 32, punching their ticket to Paris ended years of frustration and near misses.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Bagshaw, a former Island Swimming and HPC-Victoria swimmer who just missed making the team at four previous trials, sometimes by just a fraction of a second. “To finally be on the good side of it makes me very happy. I’m very grateful for what I’ve been able to do.”

Other swimmers making their Olympic debuts include Blake Tierney, 22,  of the High Performance Centre – Vancouver;  Brooklyn Douthwright,  21, of  Riverview, N.B, who trains at the University of Tennessee;  Ella Jansen, 18, of Burlington, Ont., who trains at the HPC – Ontario; Emma O’Croinin, 21, of Edmonton who trains at the HPC-Vancouver;  Ilya Kharun, 19, a Montreal native who swims with Arizona State University;  Lorne Wigginton, 18, of Calgary who trains at the HPC-Ontario; Patrick Hussey, 23, of the Point-Claire Swim Club/University of North Carolina; and Sophie Angus, 25 , of the HPC- Ontario.

Swimming Canada High Performance Director and National Coach John Atkinson said many of first-time Olympians have been exposed to the national team culture at international competitions including Pan American Games or junior world championships.

“They know the team structures, they know our protocols,” said Atkinson. “The Olympic environment is different but the way we operate holds true from one event to the next.”

Hussey said he will benefit from having competed at two world championships and a Commonwealth Games.

“It motivated me because I got a taste of what it’s like to be at that level,” he said. “It shows what it takes to be next to these fast swimmers. It prepared me to do well at the Olympics.”

The Swimming Canada team heading to Paris includes 13 swimmers with previous Olympic experience, including six Olympic medallists. Atkinson said the performances during the trials showed the team’s potential.

“It’s certainly the deepest team I have taken (to an Olympics) for Swimming Canada,” said Atkinson, who has been in his role since 2013. “When you look at the depth, over a number of events, there are multiple athletes who can be better when we come to the Games.”

Mac Neil, the 24-year-old from London, Ont., who swims at Louisiana State University, will be looking to  become the first woman to repeat as Olympic champion in the 100-metre butterfly. Masse, the 28-year-old from LaSalle, Ont., who now trains in Spain, has won four medals at three Games.

Penny Oleksiak, the 23-year-old from Toronto who is Canada’s most decorated Olympian, will be looking to add to the seven medals she won at her two previous Games.

Only 17, Toronto’s Summer McIntosh has qualified to swim five individual events at her second Olympics.

This year’s team has 15 men, three more than competed at the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Josh Liendo, 21, who trained at the HPC-Ontario before spending the last two seasons swimming at the University of Florida in Gainesville, has won 11 medals at two world long course championships, a short-course championships and Commonwealth Games since Tokyo. During the trials he set Canadian records in winning the 100-m butterfly and 50-m freestyle.

Finlay Knox, 23, of Okotoks, Alta., who trains at the HPC-Vancouver, heads to Paris as the first Canadian man in 17 years to win a gold medal at the World Aquatics Championships, after winning the 200-m IM in Doha in February.

Women were responsible for the six swimming medals Canada won at the Rio 2016 Games and again in Tokyo 2020. Knox wants to see some Canadian men on the podium this summer.

“If the girls can do it, we can do it as well,” Knox said. “It’s taken us a little bit of time. We’re just trying to compete with the girls here. They have set the limit very high. We are just trying to keep up with that. It’s really paying off.”

The Olympic pool swimming will take place from July 27 to Aug. 4 at the Paris La Defense Arena. The women’s 10-km marathon event will be held Aug. 8 at the Pont Alexandre III venue.