Top-10 finishes for current and former Langley Olympians swimmers at Olympic trials

Two current swimmers and one alumna of the Langley Olympians Swim Club posted good numbers at the Canadian Swimming Olympic Trials in Toronto.

Hugh McNeill, Bailey Herbert and Josie Field were all top-10 finishers, competing against 185 swimmers from across the country at the event, held from June 19 to 23.

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McNeill, 18, broke his old club record in the 200 metre back backstroke with a time of 2:00.69 and placed fourth.

He also broke his club record in the 1500 metre freestyle to finish fifth with a final time of 15:47.89. McNeill also swam the 100 metre Backstroke, finishing ninth overall with a time of 56.37.

Herbert, 18, swam in four events; the 100 metre breaststroke, finishing eighth overall, 200 metre individual medley where she finished seventh, 200 breaststroke where she placed fifth overall, and the 400 metre individual medley, where she finished sixth.

LOSC alumna Josie Field (now a UBC student) swam two events, placing fifth overall in the 200 metre butterfly, and eighth overall in the 100 metre butterfly.

READ ALSO: Langley Olympians swimmer breaks two provincial records at Chilliwack meet

LOSC Head Coach Brian Metcalfe, the personal coach of McNeill and Herbert, was pleased with the results.

“This year was a challenging year due to the uncertainty caused by COVID-19,” Metcalfe observed.

“Our last season was abruptly halted in March 2020, [our] swimmers had many weeks off, started virtual dryland in April 2020, in-person dryland programming in May 2020, and outdoor swimming in July and August at the City of Langley Al Anderson Pool. None of this we normally do on a normal basis since swimmers need the pool to improve and mature. However, we had to do what we can in order to stay in shape and address the physical and mental stimulation needs of our athletes in order to perform in important meets.”

Metcalfe said LOSC was “very grateful” to the City of Langley for opening their pool in June of 2020.

“Coming into the 2020/21 season, we had limited pool time and space availability early in the Fall of 2021 and only gained access to Long Course Metres programming at the start of January of 2021,” Metcalfe explained.

“However, I am proud to see our swimmers rise to the challenge and swim fast when it matters most. Most importantly, I would like to thank our members (swimmers and parents) for navigating this tough and challenging journey with us.”