Huot and Mortimer on Track for Super Seasons After Wins at Can Ams

Canada’s Summer Mortimer and Benoit Huot capped strong performances at the Cam Am Para Swimming competition on Saturday, 9 April, with victories in their respective 200-metre individual medley races.

In the men’s 200m IM in the S10 class, Huot clocked 2:16.63, a personal best time while in training and six seconds faster than his closest pursuer Dalton Herendeen of the U.S.

"These were the kind of performances I wanted for this point in the season," Huot, who entered Saturday’s races with three gold. In five of my seven races I did my best in training times. It shows we’re doing good work and I’m on the right track for the next year and half as we build to London in 2012."

In the women’s S10 200m IM, Mortimer also dominated her race winning in 2:34.73 for her third gold of the competition. Aurelie Rivard was third in 2:48.65.

"It was a good meet," said Mortimer, 17, who won four gold and set four world records at the world championships last year. "I was happy with everything and it allowed me to see what I need to work on. I wasn’t going for world records being in heavy training. I just did what I was supposed to do."

In the other 200m IM women’s race, visually impaired swimmers Valérie Grand’Maison of Montreal and Amber Thomas of Drayton Valley, Alta., were first in the S13 and S11 categories respectively while Katarina Roxon of Stephenville, N.L., and Jenna Skieneh of Windsor, Ont., were second and third in the S9 race.

On the men’s side, Donovan Tildesley of Vancouver, Devin Gotell of Antigonish, N.S., and Adam Rahier of Powell River, B.C., won the S11, S13 and S14 races in the 200m IM.

Canadian national Para swimming coach Craig McCord was delighted with the performances.

"We saw three days of really solid racing by our swimmers," said McCord. "Everybody stepped up and we’re definitely doing something right. We got people firing on all cylinders. We’re one year out from the Paralympic Games trials and we’re looking pretty good."

More than 60 Canadian Para swimmers were at the competition which was the first selection meet to determine the team for the Para Pan Pacific Championships 10-14 August in Edmonton.