Sangster’s paradise
Truro swimmer enjoys success at world lifesaving championship Down Under
Dean Sangster did so well at the world lifesaving championships, he even surprised himself.
The 18-year-old represented Canada at the recent event at Glenelg Beach, Australia (near Adelaide) and turned in personal-best results in individual and team competitions for the youth men’s division.
“I did better than I ever expected myself to do,” said Sangster, a competitive swimmer from Truro.
The competition featured lifesaving events on the beach, and in the ocean and pool. Individually, Sangster made B finals (top-16) in the 90m beach sprint, 50m manikin carry and 100m medley.
He competed in multiple relay events and helped the team establish new Canadian records and earn a seventh-place overall finish at the 19-country championship.
“Every single event we swam in the pool was a record for the relays,” he said, proudly.
New Zealand finished first, followed by Australia and France.
Sangster also brought back
hardware, as his team of Jacob Miess, Carlin Reid and Manuelle Charbonneau won a bronze medal in mixed SERC (simulated emergency response competition).
Sangster, who spent 17 days Down Under, was the lone Nova Scotian on the six-man Canadian team, which included four athletes from Ontario and another from Alberta.
“They were great guys; every single person was down to earth, just nice people,” Sangster said of his teammates.
A Grade 12 student at CEC, Sangster earned his spot on the Canadian team following the national championship in Markham, Ont., last spring.
The world competition is staged every two years and the 2020 event will be held in Riccione, Italy. Sangster hopes to crack the national men’s team for that event.
“I’ll have to fight my way back in; that’s what I’m hoping to do,” he said. “So I’ll just have to prove myself at nationals and see what they think.”
Sangster plans to swim competitively at the Canadian university level next year in the AUS, however, he is uncertain which school he will attend.