Canadians to watch on Day 1
Paris 2024 Olympian Ella Jansen was Swimming Canada’s Breakout Swimmer of the Year in 2022, but with Commonwealth Games on the horizon she’s really looking to make her mark on the world stage. Both alum of Etobicoke Swim, Jansen and host, Brittany MacLean Campbell talk trials, the Games and look ahead to LA 2028.
Hey, I’m a writer for the Buzzer, CBC Sports’s newsletter. With the Commonwealth Games now officially open, we can look to Friday’s action.
Swimming will take centre stage as the marquee sport for the first few days of the Games. The morning heats begin at 5:30 a.m. ET, and the finals are part of the evening sessions starting at 2 p.m. ET each day.
The first medal race is the women’s 400-metre freestyle. Canada’s reigning world champion Summer McIntosh is skipping the Commonwealths and Olympic champ Ariarne Titmus of Australia is now retired, leaving 20-year-old Canadian Ella Jansen to challenge for the podium after winning this event at the national trials. The favourite is Australia’s Lani Pallister, who is aiming to sweep the long-distance events (400m, 800m, 1,500m).
Other Canadians to watch in Friday’s solo races include teenager Madison Kryger in the women’s 200m backstroke, and Para athletes Mary Jibb and Katie Cosgriffe in the women’s 200m individual medley SM10 category. Jibb won gold in the 200 IM at last year’s world championships, while Cosgriffe earned a Paralympic bronze in the 100m butterfly in 2024 and medalled in both that event and the 100m backstroke at last year’s worlds.
Friday’s finals conclude with the men’s and women’s 4x100m freestyle relays. Canada took bronze in both events at the 2022 Commonwealths, but the women’s team is without McIntosh and the retired Maggie Mac Neil, while the men look pretty thin behind Olympic silver medallist Josh Liendo, who’s aiming for multiple solo medals.
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