Katerine Savard won a third gold medal in a relay at the World Short Course Championships in Abu Dhabi. After hitting the stands in the mixed 4x50m relay final earlier this week, Savard was able to actively help her teammates get their hands on gold in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay on Monday.
“We did a great job. I am happy to be part of the team. I know I’m older, but it makes me proud to be around the new generation and to contribute to the success of the team, ”said Savard, the group’s third torchbearer.
Savard and his partners Summer McIntosh, Kayla Sanchez and Rebecca Smith simultaneously broke the discipline’s Americas record by completing the course in 7 minutes 32.96 seconds, missing the world record by a few hundredths. They edged the Americans by 3.57 seconds. The Chinese (+ 6.96 seconds) followed with third place.
“It was my best time ever. The four of us have done the work we had to do, we are world champions! We are enjoying the moment and getting ready for our next races, ”she added.
Tessa Cieplucha and Sydney Pickrem swam for the Canadians in qualifying. They were replaced by Savard and Sanchez in the final.
“All the Canadians were so good today (Monday). Our goal was definitely to win by breaking the world record. We missed it very little, but we still lowered a nice mark. We have a young team, we will be able to beat this record very soon. I am very proud of what we have accomplished. ”
Ontarian Maggie MacNeil won gold in the 50m backstroke by improving the world record to 25.27 seconds. Her compatriot Kylie Masse took second place in the event.
Before the relay final, Savard competed in the qualifications for the 100m butterfly. The 28-year-old swimmer took the 12e rank, getting his pass to the semi-finals. However, she made the decision not to make this round to focus on the relay final.
“From the start of the week, we knew I wasn’t going to make the finals in the 100m butterfly. I wanted to be sure to maximize our chances for the relay and I don’t regret it. It was the right decision, ”concluded Savard.
Katerine Savard will be back in the Abu Dhabi basin on Tuesday during the qualifications for the 4 x 100m medley and 4 x 50m freestyle events. It is already planned that she will not participate in the finals of these two disciplines, while a rotation of swimmers is planned.