An Okotoks swimmer had the record keepers in Alberta working overtime last week setting five provincial records at the Alberta Age Group and Senior championships in Fort McMurray on July 1-3.
Foothills Stingray Finlay Knox set the records in the 10-year-old boys’ 100m backstroke, 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 50m butterfly and the 200m individual medley.
“I was really tired at the end of the meet, so that meant I swam really hard,” Knox said “I think I was most proud of my 100 freestyle and 100 back.”
Knox shattered the 100m freestyle record by close to two seconds when he swam it in 1:05.95.
“When I was swimming it I felt really strong and I thought I dominated,” Knox said. “That was one of my goals to break the 100m free record, because every other time (this year), I was really close.”
In the 100m backstroke, Knox set a new record at 1:14.93. The second fastest time in Alberta history was swam by his teammate Justin Lisoway, who finished just behind Knox in the final at 1:15.17. The two Foothills swimmers finished six seconds ahead of the third place swimmer.
“It’s really good to have Justin pushing me,” Knox said.
Lisoway admitted it is frustrating to beat the provincial record and not be quite fast enough to win the race. However, if he had to be beat, he was glad it was to his friend Knox.
“Finlay beat me by just a little bit more than one-tenth of a second,” said Lisoway, a student at Edison School.
Stingrays coach Todd Melton said the 100m backstroke was “the most exciting race all weekend.”
“Finlay had a better turn (in the 50m pool) but then Justin was catching him. If the race would have been two metres longer, Justin might have had him. They were both under the record.
“What is cool, is Mark Tewksbury grew up in this province and he won an Olympic gold medal (100m backstroke in 1992). So these two are faster at this age.”
Lisoway would go home with a record of his own. He won the gold medal in the 10-year-old boys’ 50m backstroke at 35.88, but just missed getting the record. He would set it when he swam the 50m backstroke in 35.41 seconds in the opening leg of the 13-14-year-old boys’ 200m medley relay.
“Justin won the gold medal in the 50m backstroke final and he was really close to the record,” Melton said. “So we put him in the 13-14-year-old boys’ medley so he could go for the record.”
Knox finished the meet with seven gold medals (100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 50m butterfly, 100 butterfly and 200 IM). He won a silver medal in the 50m freestyle.
Lisoway also came home with so many medals around his neck it practically doubled his weight.
He won eight medals including one gold, six silvers and a bronze.
Knox and Lisoway weren’t the only medal winners for the Stingrays.
Kyle Jackson won the silver medal and bronze medal in the13-14-year-old boys’ 200m butterfly and 100m butterfly, respectively.
“I was happy with how I did, but I am aiming for nationals later this month,” Jackson said. “I only tapered for two and a half days.”
Tapering is when swimmers cut back on their training in order to be well rested for a major meet.
Lauren Hedley won two silver medals in the 11-12-year-old girls’ 100m backstroke and the 50m freestyle. She also won a bronze medal in the 200m backstroke.
The Stingrays’ next major meet is the age group nationals in Montreal July 27-31.
