By Jim Morris

She has a scar on both shoulders, one on her neck and one on her abdomen.

Regan Rathwell recovered from four surgeries in 14 months – plus a broken foot – to get herself to the Olympic & Paralympic Trials, Presented by Bell, in May.

There were times when Rathwell, who trained at the High Performance Centre – Ontario before attending the University of Tennessee, wondered if the pain and frustration were worth the potential reward.

“It was taking a toll on my body,” said the 20-year-old from Ashton, Ont. “As soon as you step away you really learn to appreciate it more.”

But Rathwell overcame the odds to earn her ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games by finishing second in the 200-metre backstroke at Trials.

None of the 29 athletes who qualified for Swimming Canada’s Olympic team travelled an easy road. But for some like Rathwell, the journey had more hills and potholes than others.

Jeremy Bagshaw and Ingrid Wilm refused to quit after missing past Olympic teams, sometimes by just a fraction of a second. Taylor Ruck dealt with an eating disorder. Sydney Pickrem deals with depression and anxiety.

Bagshaw is a 32-year-old Olympic rookie who finally found success at his fifth trials.

“It’s been a long time coming,” said Bagshaw, a Victoria native who swam for the Island Swimming Club and at the High Performance Centre – Victoria before attending medical school In Limerick, Ireland. “For me it was knowing I had that ability, I still had that performance in me that could get me to the Olympic team.

“I ended up re-finding my love for swimming over the last couple of years in Ireland. They brought me in, treated me like a second family. I really learned to enjoy swimming again.”

Bagshaw, who will begin his career as a doctor in London, England, after the Games, finished fourth in the 200-m freestyle, earning a spot on the men’s 4×200-m freestyle relay team.

Over the years Wilm, who finished second in the 100-m backstroke, has been nagged by an elbow injury and struggled financially to continue swimming. She’s been asked many times what kept her going.

“It was a general combination of knowing and hoping my dream is still possible,” said the 25-year-old who trains with Calgary’s Cascade Swim Club. “A deep knowing I could do better and I would do better.

“The light was at the end of the tunnel and I was heading directly toward that.”

Pickrem withdrew from the 2023 world championships because of what she called “crippling anxiety and depression.” She returned to win two gold medals at the Pan American Games in Chile and an individual silver and bronze – as well as a relay bronze – at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships.

“I don’t think any of the years have been easy,” said Pickrem, 27, who will compete in her third Olympics after winning the 200-m breaststroke and finishing second in the 200-m individual medley during the trials. “It’s been an emotional ride. Anxiety is real.

“Those hard days over the past years, having to make choices to better myself, I told myself that swimming doesn’t define me,” she said. “Let’s try and see the best thing I can do today.”

Ruck, 24, found success early, winning two medals at the Rio 2016 Olympics as a 16-year-old, then a record eight medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. At the same time she began obsessing over what she put in her body.

“The downs can last for who knows how long but the ups and moments like these, are what it’s all about,” said the Kelowna, B.C., native who trains at Arizona State University. “I’m just so grateful for all the people who believed in me, saw me to this point.

“I think they are the people who got me through the hard times.”

Rathwell’s time at Tennessee got off on the wrong foot in 2022 when she dropped a 10-pound weight on her foot, breaking it.

“I’m as clumsy as it gets,” she said. “It was a really humbling experience.”

In October of the same year she underwent shoulder surgery to repair a labral tear and fractured humerus. Rathwell returned to training but favoured one arm, resulting in a second shoulder surgery in April 2023.

Going through rehab a second time was difficult.

“The first one I had a lot more motivation,” she said. “The second one was a little harder. It was more of like a punch in the gut. It was definitely difficult.”

Visits from her parents and her sister helped her through this period. Last fall Rathwell had emergency surgery to deal with some internal bleeding. She recovered from that only to become sick again. This time doctors found a mass on her neck that had to be removed.

Kylie Masse, the four-time Olympic medallist backstroker, praised Rathwell for her endurance and perseverance.

“Having two shoulder surgeries is not something I would wish on anyone in normal life, let along someone in high performance who has to get back to a level they had before,” said Masse. “It’s a testament to her character and her discipline, to want to get back racing.”

Being forced to spend time away from swimming made Rathwell realize how much she loved the sport.

“It’s the environment, the people around it,” she said. “I’m competitive, I like racing. Once it’s taken away, you really learn to love it. Getting it back, I haven’t been doing this for the results, just for appreciating the sport more and more.”

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.