Mary-Sophie Harvey will not swim the 100m butterfly at the Paris Olympics. After a few weeks of reflection, the Montreal athlete decided to take her turn in this event for which she had qualified at the Toronto Trials last month.
“It’s definitely a heartbreaking choice,” agreed Harvey four days after announcing his decision to Swimming Canada on June 10.
“I worked hard to get my place on the team. I would have loved to swim all the swims I placed in and I think I deserved it. At the same time, it was a decision that made sense. »
By setting aside the 100m butterfly, the preliminaries and semi-finals of which are scheduled for the first day of the Olympic competition, July 27, Harvey wants to devote all his attention to the 4 X 100m freestyle relay, presented on the same day.
“That would have been four races during the first day. As much as I would love to do the 100m butterfly, we have a good chance of medaling in the 4 x 100m freestyle. »
It was really important for me to be there for the team and to be in the best possible conditions to perform in the relay final.
Mary-Sophie Harvey
The only Quebec representative of the women’s team also wishes to preserve her energies for the 200 m freestyle, the heats of which will be contested the next day.
“That gave four races before my individual swim which we are focusing on more than the 100m butterfly, for the moment. With possibly lots of emotions if we win a medal, returning to the water the next day for my race, it was going to be a lot. We said to ourselves: we’re going to focus on one. »
More chances in the 200m freestyle
The 100m butterfly arrived as a bit of a surprise in the 25-year-old swimmer’s Olympic journey. The announcement of his registration coincided with the departure to Quebec of his training partner, Katerine Savard. The 100m butterfly specialist was aiming for an unprecedented fourth Olympic selection in this event. The 2016 relay medalist ultimately finished fifth.
On the first day of the Trials, Harvey secured her place by placing second behind Olympic champion Maggie Mac Neil. “Initially, there were two goals: to relieve stress for the week by qualifying right away and to have a chance to swim the medley relay,” recalled his coach at CAMO, Greg Arkhurst, on Monday.
PHOTO FRANK GUNN, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Maggie Mac Neil and Mary-Sophie Harvey at the Olympic Swimming Trials in Toronto
Harvey’s time – a big personal best of 57.31 seconds – allowed him to consider participation in the Olympic semi-final. Being one of the eight finalists looked much more complex, even more so given the results of the American Trials in Indianapolis, where Gretchen Walsh achieved a world record of 55.18 seconds on Saturday. Two other Americans went under the 56-second mark.
“The truth is she has a hell of a better chance of being in the top eight, or better, in the 200 freestyle,” Arkhurst added.
In the 4 x 100 m relay, the CAMO coach considers the Canadians to be “real underdogs” for a podium. “We are perhaps the team that has more room to improve compared to the addition of times. […] Medal or not, it remains an Olympic final, there will be a big emotional charge. Do we need to add more? In terms of management, this may be the best choice. »
“At peace with my decision”
Even by dropping one event, the Parisian week of the native of Trois-Rivières will be filled with three other potential relays (4 X 100 medley, 4 X 100 mixed and 4 X 200). She wants to rise to the occasion, as was the case at the Pan American Games last fall.
“I’ve had discussions with Swimming Canada and they would like me to also do a good part of the relays in the preliminaries to help the younger ones relax and relieve stress,” noted Harvey, limited to the heats of 4 X 200 m in Tokyo (4e). “It’s important to have a veteran. It makes me happy to play this role and it will also mean that I will have a lot of challenges! »
Harvey’s withdrawal will allow Alberta’s Rebecca Smith, third in Toronto with the qualifying standard, to start the 100m butterfly in the City of Lights.
As for the 400m IM, where she withdrew from the Trials, Mary-Sophie Harvey is not putting the butterfly aside. His place is already reserved over the distance at the Short Course World Championships in Budapest in December.
“I had all the support I needed from Greg and Swimming Canada. I am truly at peace with my decision. »
The swimmer, her coach and a few teammates left for Europe on Monday. First stop: Rome, where they will compete in the Seven Hills Trophy, from Friday to Sunday. On the program for Harvey: 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle as well as… the 100m butterfly. Penny Oleksiak will join them with the intention of punching her individual Olympic ticket in the 100m freestyle. Jeremy Bagshaw, qualified for his first Olympics on his fifth try at the age of 32, will also be there.
The small troop will then continue their preparation in Spain before the Canadian team’s final training camp in Caen, starting July 13.
Lost in Translation
Greg Arkhurst was surprised to hear High Performance Director John Atkinson announce the location of this final grouping. With his British accent, “Caen” transformed into “Cannes”… “Cannes in July, you’re sure, it’s hot, still, it goes out, there are parties,” warned the coach before understanding that Atkinson was talking about the city of Normandy. Canada had made Caen its base camp ahead of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.