Overholt wins bronze in 400M individual medley
Don’t go telling Emily Overholt the Pan Am Games rank as a meaningless exercise in traffic delays and B-level competition.
Riding a wave of momentum ignited in Toronto, the youngest member of the Canadian swim team crashed the podium on Sunday, the final day of the FINA world swimming championships.
The 17-year-old obliterated the old Canadian record in the women’s 400-metre individual medley en route to winning bronze, the first major international medal of her career.
Pretty impressive considering Overholt woke up Sunday morning with the lofty goal of qualifying for her first world final.
“Getting a lane was a huge step,” the West Vancouver native said over the phone from Kazan, Russia. “That was awesome, so I really didn’t have anything to lose.
“I just went out and had fun, so I’m really happy with the way it went.”
Happy is likely a mild understatement. With her mom, dad and little brother in the crowd. Overholt put down a time of four minutes, 32.52 seconds to finish third behind world champion Katinka Hosszu, of Hungary, and Maya DiRado, of the United States,
In doing so, Overholt shaved 3.32 seconds off the Canadian record set by Tanya Hunks at the 2009 world championships.
“Going into this meet, my main goal was to just make the final,” Overholt said. “I didn’t even know if I had a chance.
“This is definitely unexpected.”
Unexpected? Perhaps. But looking back at Toronto, Overholt signalled to the world her arrival as a legitimate contender.
First came heartbreak when the judges stripped the talented teenager of gold in the 400-m individual medley for an illegal turn.
A day later, after a sleepless, tearful night, she rebounded to set a new PanAm record and win gold in the 400-metre freestyle.
She left Toronto with three medals. And now, after her performance at the world championships, Overholt heads into the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio as a legitimate contender.
“It’s definitely cool to be on the podium here,” she said. “It definitely gives me confidence going into next year. Hopefully, I’ll be able to keep it going into next year.”
Throughout the eightday event, Canada won four bronze medals. Two years ago in Barcelona, the Canadian contingent collected one silver and two bronze.
Once again, the United States finished atop the overall and gold medal standings this year with 23 medals and eight golds in Kazan. American teenager Katie Ledecky looked like the Michael Phelps of women’s swimming, with a stunning five gold medals in five events.
In other action Sunday, Winnipeg’s Chantal Van Landeghem set a new Canadian record and finished fifth in the women’s 50-metre freestyle. The women’s 4X100-metre medley relay team came in sixth.
“MY MAIN GOAL WAS TO JUST MAKE THE FINAL.”
EMILY OVERHOLT