Canada slows pace in pool

Canada’s Olympic- bound swimmers found the going a little tougher Wednesday in the second stop of the Mare Nostrum tour in Europe.

Three days after picking up a slew of wins over two days in Barcelona, Brent Hayden of Mission, Katerine Savard of Pont- Rouge, Que., and Sinead Russell of Burlington, Ont., had to settle for silver medals on the opening day of a meet in Canet- en- Rousillon, France.

The only Canadian victory Wednesday came from 17- year- old Erika Seltenreich- Hodgson of Ottawa in the women’s 200- metre individual medley. She is one of eight junior- age swimmers from Canada competing on the tour.

Hayden clocked 22.38 seconds in the 50 freestyle, a tenth of a second faster than his winning time in Barcelona, but finished .02 behind Florent Manaudou of France. Hayden will race his Olympic event, the 100 freestyle today.

Ingrid Snildald of Norway won the women’s 100 butterfly in 58.53, edging out Savard by .03. Russell was second in the women’s 100 backstroke in 1: 00.71, half- a- second behind Lizzie Simmonds of Britain. HUGHES IN RUNNING: Clara Hughes, the 39- year- old multiple Olympic medallist in speed skating and cycling, heads a short- list of nine female cyclists from which Cycling Canada Cyclisme will select the team to contest the women’s road race and time trial at the London Olympics.

Hughes, a native of Glen Sutton, Que., is the reigning Canadian time trial champion. She retired from speed skating after the 2010 Olympics to give cycling another go. She was a bronze medallist in the time trial and road race at the 1996 Olympics.

Others named to the selection pool include reigning Canadian road race champion Veronique Fortin of Montreal, Tara Whitten of Edmonton, who will ride the track omnium event in London, and Squamish resident Leah Kirchmann.

Through the UCI qualifying process, Canada earned three spots in the road race and two in the time trial. The London team will be named June 21.