Swimmer hopes to back way into 2016 Olympics
Russell Wood triumphs despite tight schedule
All Russell Wood needed was a small taste of the sport at the highest level and, if he wasn’t already sold, that about sealed it.
“I went to Worlds in Barcelona last summer and ever since then I’ve been hooked on swimming,” said the University of Calgary sophomore with a smile. “Waking up for morning practices isn’t so tough anymore. Just aiming for Rio (2016 Olympics).”
Wood hogged the spotlight among Calgary swimmers this weekend at the 2014 Canada West championships, winning four individuals gold medals — sweeping his specialty, the backstroke, and claiming another in the 200 individual medley.
The Dinos, in the end, were no match for the UBC Thunderbirds, who won both the men’s and women’s division handily.
The indefatigable Wood on Sunday won two events, the men’s 200 IM and the 100 backstroke, and shortly thereafter helped the Dinos take a silver medal in the men’s 400m medley relay. All this was done in less than an hour. Earlier in the weekend he triumphed in the 50 and 200 back, lowering his own Canada West record in the latter.
“It was a really challenging weekend, but it all paid off and the outcome was exactly what I wanted,” he noted. “It seems you have to win everything to get any recognition in this sport so that’s what I’m aiming for.
“The thing about university swimming is getting points for your team. It’s easy to stand up on the blocks, no matter how tired you are, and you have to put down for the 20 other guys on your team and they’d all do the same for you.”
Wood’s schedule this year is full, including the Commonwealth Games and Pan-Pacific trials in April, which could lead to the Canadian teams that will go to Glasgow and Australia, respectively.
“Last summer was the first time I’d really made any major international teams,” he said. “Really exciting to see the top swimmers out there and how they carry themselves on the pool deck and every day just their atmosphere and their attitude.”
Dinos’ head coach Mike Blondal was thrilled with the young man’s weekend and his progression in general.
“To be able to do three races like he did tonight back-to-back shows fitness and shows willpower,” said Blondal. “Certainly some of his talents are coming out. Our national team members swam really well and I’m quite proud of them.”
The T-Birds outclassed all other schools on the women’s side, collecting 1,071 points to second-place Calgary’s 574, and on the men’s, with 941 points to the Dinos’ 755.
Other top Calgary results on Day 3 included, among others, silver by David Woodman in the 100 freestyle and bronze in the 400 free; bronze by Tristan Cote in the 200 IM and silver in the 400 free; silver for Fiona Doyle and bronze for Tianna Rissling in the women’s 200 breaststroke; and silver and bronze for Lindsay Delmar and Talia Benson, respectively, in the 400 free.
“I think we came into the meet pretty tired,” said Blondal. “We’ve been working pretty hard since Dec. 28 with Christmas camp. Usually we have a race before we get to this meet; we didn’t have a race and I think we came in a bit flat. I think we have more in our tank and we’re going to have to find more in our tank because we got beat.”
“We all had our good swims and our bad swims,” added Wood. “I think CIS will definitely be better for us. This will just give us a taste.”
The CIS swimming championships will be held at the University of Toronto on Feb. 20-22.