Breaking new ground in water
Knysna swimming star, Aimee Canny, has been recognised nationally once again
Knysna's up-and-coming star swimmer, Aimee Canny, has achieved yet another milestone in her blossoming career by being selected for both Swimming SA's (SSA) national senior youth squad as well as the national open squad. Each year, SSA selects various age-group squads and its national open squad based on its national long-course rankings.
This year, in the Women's 16 age category, Aimee ranks first in
SA in the 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle events as well as the 50m butterfly and 200m individual medley events. By being inside the top three in her age group, Aimee qualified for SSA's national open squad too, the first year she has achieved this feat.
Her mother Denni-Lynn Canny was over the moon with the news: "I am incredibly proud. She has worked so hard, with huge amounts of sacrifices along the way. But to see the results have made it so worth it," she said.
Aimee announced herself on the international swimming scene last year, earning fourth and fifth-place finishes for South Africa in the 50m and 100m freestyle events at the 7th International Swimming Federation (Fina) Junior World Championships in August 2019. Since then, she shifted her focus toward qualifying for the Summer Olympic Games through the national championships earlier this year. Unfortunately for Aimee, however, the former was postponed until next year and the latter cancelled, meaning no Olympics for her this year.
But this doesn't mean Aimee is resting on her laurels. "She has been working so hard since we returned to training. She has such a huge desire to improve and be the best, and this really shows in the rate at which she has improved these past few years," said coach Francois Boshoff. According to her mother, Aimee spent three weeks training in the Knysna lagoon after months of dryland training at home before she returned to the pool a month ago. "She was extremely good with her dryland training and it has shown now that she is back in the pool," Canny said. "I think she has surprised herself about just how good she is feeling." Boshoff further explained that they are currently busy with pre-season training schedules as they make their way back towards regular training. "Aimee just wants to do the most she can possibly do, and that mentality really pays off in the pool," he said.