A BOUNCE IN HER STEP
A jubilant Rosie MacLennan celebrates after capturing gold in the trampoline for the second straight Olympics. The medal was one of three Canada earned in Rio on Friday.
Almost every night this week, Hilary Caldwell tried to remain patient and watched the swimming competition she would eventually participate in via television from the Olympic Village. She watched as her Canadian teammates took the world by tidal wave.
Caldwell knew her time would come, however, and vowed to be ready to join the coming-out party that has made Canadian women such an emerging force in the sport.
On Friday at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium, the 25-year-old from White Rock, B.C., got her chance and delivered, earning a bronze medal in the women’s 200-metre backstroke.
It was Canada’s sixth medal in the pool at these Games, with at least a single trip to the podium every night but one since the meet began last Saturday.
“I’ve seen six days of seeing girls swimming absolutely lights-out fast and I was there last night,” Caldwell said Friday. On Thursday, she had won her semifinal, then watched Penny Oleksiak take gold in the 100-metre freestyle. “We sang the anthem when Penny was on top of the podium, which was so cool. I’m glad I get to be a part of that for sure.
“It’s been so cool to see how great we have been swimming.”
Typical of the new Canadian mindset, Caldwell was actually mildly disappointed with her finish on Friday, believing gold was within reach. Her time of 2:07.54 was no threat to gold medal winner Maya DiRado of the U.S. (2:05.99) or silver medallist Katinka Hosszu of Hungary (2:06.05).
Caldwell, who had the 18th-best time in the event when she made her Olympic debut in London four years ago, felt she could push the top two after her win in the semi the previous night. And she believes 2:05 is within her reach.
“I wanted to be faster personally, but in the end, it’s about the race,” said Caldwell, who is originally from London, Ont., but grew up in B.C. “I can’t be too upset. I’m on the podium, right?
“I saw the time — I looked up and saw the three lights on the blocks, so I knew I was third. I was happy, but I did want the gold medal. I saw the time and I gave a little scowl.”
As with virtually all of the medal performances by the Canadian women this week, there was a historical element to Caldwell’s accomplishment. The bronze was the first by a Canadian in the event since Nancy Garapick took bronze 40 years earlier in Montreal.
Caldwell has been on a steady rise since those London Olympics and won gold at the Pan Am Games in Toronto last summer. The waiting game wasn’t the easiest, but something she’s grown used to in her career. Typically, backstroke events are run toward the conclusion of international competitions.
“I didn’t go to the finals every night,” Caldwell said. “I just tried to watch it from the village and get excited, yeah, but remember that I can’t get too hyped up on Day 1 or Day 2 or Day 3.”
Starting from Lane 5 on Friday, Caldwell was fourth after the opening 50 metres, but a killer turn quickly had her in medal position. By 150 metres it was clear she was bound for a medal, and the former University of Victoria swimmer finished it off.
With the medal haul growing by the night — and a big shot for a seventh in the women’s four-by100-metre individual medley relay on Saturday — the Canadians now feel they can compete with anyone in the world.
“I would hope so,” Caldwell said. “We’ve got to be almost the same amount of medals as Australia, which is outrageous. We’ve already got two relay medals and that shows we are one of the top female teams here. I can’t believe it. It’s crazy. It’s great.”
And getting crazier and greater by the night.