MONTREAL—A high-powered squad of 20 Paralympic program and 44 Olympic program athletes including open water swimmers replete with veteran leadership and youthful energy and drive earned the opportunity to represent Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic programs at the 2026 Pan and Para Pan Pacific Championships in August.
Originally published by Swimming Canada. Read the original article here.
Olympic medallists Summer McIntosh and Taylor Ruck will lead a group of 20 women and 22 men to the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, California, August 10-15. Paralympic medallists Tess Routliffe and Nicholas Bennett will lead 10 women and 10 men into the Para Pan Pacific Championships, August 28-30, in Walnut, California.
Athletes were selected to Team Canada based on their performances at the 2026 Bell Canadian Swimming Trials contested in July at Parc Olympique in Montreal.
“This team reflects the incredible depth and momentum we have built across our high-performance program,” said John Atkinson, high performance director and national coach, Swimming Canada. “We have a great balance of experienced international performers and emerging athletes who have earned this opportunity through outstanding performances at our Trials. The Pan Pacific Championships will provide an important opportunity for our swimmers to test themselves against some of the best in the world as we continue building toward LA 2028.”
Toronto’s McIntosh secured her spot after achieving a childhood dream of breaking the world record in the 200-metre butterfly. She lowered the longest-standing women`s long course world standard by .16 hundredths, clocking a time of 2:01.65.
Ruck, of Kelowna, B.C. (High Performance Centre – Vancouver), locked her spot on Team Canada after swimming into the history books, joining McIntosh as just the second Canadian swimmer to ever win national titles in three strokes at the same Trials, taking top spot in the women’s 100-metre backstroke, 100-metre free and 100-metre fly.
Calgary’s Lorne Wigginton (Etobicoke Swim Club / University of Michigan), backed up McIntosh’s memorable performance by breaking the longest-standing Canadian men’s record, winning the 400m individual medley in a time of 4:11.32.
“Every summer I have the goal to represent Canada again. It’s a great feeling to be named to the team. Every time feels the same as the first,” said Wigginton. “I think we always new Summer was going to do great things. But the men’s team, we are showing the world we are getting better every time. We are always pushing each other. We have a lot of young guys coming up and performing well so it is super exciting for men’s swimming in Canada as a whole.”
Wigginton is part of a dynamic group of rising stars sporting the maple leaf cap at the premiere event on the 2026 international swimming calendar, after having served notice at the Bell Canadian Swimming Trials they are ready to test their fitness against the world with breakthrough swims, personal best performances and national podium finishes.
Paralympic standout Aurélie Rivard, of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. (Club de natation Région de Québec), wasted no time in making her mark in her return to racing after completing law school. Rivard captured three titles throughout the week. She will be one of 10 Paralympic medallists on Canada’s 2026 Para Pan Pacific Championship squad.
“I’m excited because we had a lot of NextGen athletes joining our team last year, so I haven’t been on the team with some of the new athletes. I have gotten to meet a lot of the athletes (at Trials) and they are really fun,” said Routliffe, who took last season off. “I’d be happy to be some sort of leader on this team. The new generation are very positive and really strong. I’m just looking forward to cheering them on and seeing what we can all do.”
Other medal-winning Paralympic athletes on the team include: Nicolas-Guy Turbide of Quebec City (Club de natation Région de Québec ); Nicholas Bennett, of Parksville, B.C. (High Performance Centre – Québec), Fernando Lu of Burnaby, B.C. (Olympians Swimming) and Sebastian Massabie, of Surrey, B.C. (Pacific Sea Wolves), who all arrived at Trials in outstanding form, also setting Canadian records in their respective events.
“Our Para swimming program continues to set the standard internationally, and this team reflects the remarkable depth of talent we have across Canada,” said Jocelyn Jay, associate director, high performance, Paralympic Program, Swimming Canada. “We have a core of experienced athletes who have consistently delivered on the world stage, alongside swimmers who continue to push our program forward. The Para Pan Pacific Championships will be another valuable opportunity to measure ourselves against the world’s best while continuing our preparation for the seasons ahead.”
Their selections reflect the continued strength and depth of Canada’s high-performance program as the next generation prepares to test itself against the world’s best.
Open water swimming at the Pan Pacific Championships is set for August 10, followed by long course pool competition, August 12-15 in Irvine, California. Canada’s best Para swimmers will be in the pool at the Para Pan Pacific Championships, August 28-30, 2026 in Walnut, California.
SWIMMERS POOL - WOMEN
Sienna ANGOVE - Kamloops Classic Swimming - Coach: Norm Wright
Sophie ANGUS- HPC Ontario - Coach: Ryan Mallette
Julie BROUSSEAU - Nepean Kanata Swim Club - Coach: Anthony Nesty
Summer CARDWELL - Pointe Claire Swim Club - Coach: Stephanie Junker
Ella COSGROVE - Unattached Canada - Coach: Noah Yanchulis
Brooklyn DOUTHWRIGHT - HPC Ontario / Club de Natation Bleu et Or - Coach: Ryan Mallette
Leilani FACK - Olympians Swimming - Coach: Matt Bowe
Emma FINLIN - Edmonton Keyano Swim Club - Coach: Norm Wright
Sarah FOURNIER - Club Aquatique Montreal - Coach: Marc-Andre Pelletier
Matea GIGOVIC - Killarney Swim Club - Coach: Brad Mori
Mary-Sophie HARVEY - Club Aquatique Montreal - Coach: Greg Arkhurst
Madison KRYGER - HPC Ontario / Brock Niagara - Coach: Ryan Mallette
Alexanne LEPAGE - University of Calgary Swim Club - Coach: Mike Blondal
Reina LIU - Unattached Canada - Coach: Bruce Marchionda
Summer MCINTOSH - Unattached Canada - Coach: Bob Bowman
Emma O’CROININ - HPC Vancouver / UBC Thunderbirds - Coach: Scott Talbot
Taylor RUCK - HPC Vancouver - Coach: Scott Talbot
Leah TIGERT - Toronto Swim Club - Coach: Bill O’Toole
Katherine WARKENTIN - Unattached Canada - Coach: Ron Aitken
Ingrid WILM - HPC Vancouver / Cascade Swim Club - Coach: Scott Talbot
SWIMMERS POOL - MEN
Javier ACEVEDO - HPC Ontario - Coach: Ryan Mallette
Francis BRENNAN - Belleville Beast Swim Team - Coach: Greg Rhodenbaugh
Loic COURVILLE FORTIN - Club Aquatique Montreal - Coach: Greg Arkhurst
Oliver DAWSON - Grande Prairie Piranhas - Coach: Alex Dawson
Raben DOMMANN - HPC Vancouver / UBC Thunderbirds - Coach: Scott Talbot
Ethan EKK - Unattached Canada - Coach: Dan Schemel
Ruslan GAZIEV - Unattached Canada - Coach: Brian Schrader
Apollo HESS - HPC Ontario - Coach: Ryan Mallette
Tristan JANKOVICS - Royal City Aquatics - Coach: Norm Wright
Laon KIM - University of Calgary Swim Club - Coach: Carl Simonson
Aiden KIRK - HPC Vancouver / Kelowna Aquajets - Coach: Scott Talbot
Yuri KISIL - HPC Vancouver / Cascade Swim Club - Coach: Scott Talbot
Finlay KNOX - HPC Vancouver / Okotoks Mavericks - Coach: Scott Talbot
Benjamin LOEWEN - University of Toronto - Coach: Linda Kiefer
Sebastian PAULINS - Cote Saint-Luc Aquatics - Coach: Jocelyn McCann
Antoine SAUVÉ - Club Aquatique Montreal - Coach: Gunnar Schmidt
Filip SENC SAMARDZIC - Toronto Swim Club - Coach: Herbie Behm
Anton SEMENYUK - HPC Ontario / Natation Gatineau - Coach: Ryan Mallette
Blake TIERNEY - HPC Vancouver / Saskatoon Goldfins - Coach: Scott Talbot
Jordi VILCHEZ - Barrie Trojans Swim Club - Coach: Norm Wright
Chris WEEKS - Mount Pearl Markins - Coach: Brian Schrader
Lorne WIGGINTON - Etobicoke Swim Club - Coach: Gunnar Schmidt
TEAM STAFF – PERSONNEL
TEAM LEADER – John Atkinson
HEAD COACH – Iain McDonald
TEAM MANAGER – Jan Hanan
ASSISTANT TEAM MANAGER – Colleen Marchese
TEAM COACH – Greg Arkhurst
TEAM COACH –Mandy Bell
TEAM COACH – Mike Blondal
TEAM COACH – Alex Dawson
TEAM COACH – Linda Kiefer
TEAM COACH – Ryan Mallette
TEAM COACH – Rob Novak
TEAM COACH – Scott Talbot
PERSONAL SUPPORT COACH – Erik Posegay
MASSAGE THERAPIST – Remo Bucci
MASSAGE THERAPIST – Ronald Castro
MASSAGE THERAPIST – Suzanne Moroney
PHYSIOTHERAPIST – Ron O’Hare
PHYSIOTHERAPIST – Alex Vidic
PHYSICIAN - Steve Keeler
PERFORMANCE SCIENTIST – Tom Vandenbogaerde
RACE ANALYSIS – Graham Olson
RACE ANALYSIS – Kayla Bugeya Miller
TEAM MEDIA – Simone Cseplo
TEAM MEDIA – Chris Dornan
SWIMMERS (Open Water)
Emma FINLIN - Ohio State University - Coach: Norm Wright
Colt CHAIRS - North Carolina Aquatic Club - Coach: Steve Brown
Simon FONSECA - CAMO/ HPC Ontario - Coach: Ryan Mallette
TEAM STAFF (Open Water)
TEAM LEADER – John Atkinson
HEAD COACH – Martin Gingras
TEAM COACH – Norm Wright
TEAM MANAGER – Michelle Poirier
MASSAGE THERAPIST – Remo Bucci
PHYSICIAN – Steve Keeler
TEAM MEDIA – Simone Cseplo
Para Pan Pacific Championship Team
SWIMMERS POOL - WOMEN
Tianna Asala - Okotoks Mavericks Swimming - Coach: Kim Cousins
Katie Cosgriffe - Wilfrid Laurier University/Oakville Aquatic Club - Coach: Cathy Pardy
Ali Diehl - Prince Albert Sharks Swim Club - Coach: Hazem Hussein
Danielle Dorris- Club de natation Bleu Et Or - Coach: Mathieu Manuel
Arianna Hunsicker - CHP-Québec / Club aquatiques Côte St-Luc - Coach: Haley Osborne
Mary Jibb- Pacific Sea Wolves - Coach: Jy Lawrence
Shelby Newkrirk - Saskatoon Laser Swim Club - Coach: Ryan Jones
Aurélie Rivard - Club de natation Région de Québec - Coach: Pierre Lamy
Tess Routliffe- CHP-Québec/Club de natation Rouge et Or - Coach: Haley Osborne
Abi Tripp - Club de natation Région de Québec - Coach: Pierre Lamy
SWIMMERS POOL - MEN
Nicholas Bennett- CHP-Québec - Coach: Haley Osborne
Alec Elliott - Wilfrid Laurier University/Region Of Waterloo Swim Club - Coach: Cathy Pardy
Jagdev Gill - McGill University / Club aquatique Pointe-Claire - Coach: Peter Carpenter
Hunter Helberg - Fort McMurray Mantas Swim Club - Coach: Daniel Pinto
James Leroux- CHP Quebec / Club de natation Rouge et Or- Coach: Haley Osborne
Fernando Lu - Olympians Swimming - Coach: Ryan Skomorowski
Sebastian Massabie - Pacific Sea Wolves - Coach: Jy Lawrence
Reid Maxwell - CAMO Natation - Coach: Claude St-Jean
Ken Stroud - Olympians Swimming - Coach: Ryan Skomorowski
Nicolas-Guy Turbide - Club de natation Région de Québec- Coach: Pierre Lamy
TEAM STAFF
TEAM LEADER – Jocelyn Jay
TEAM MANAGER – Erin Alizadeh
TEAM MANAGER – Maxime McLean
HEAD COACH – Ryan Allen
COACH – Ryan Jones
COACH – Pierre Lamy
COACH – Jy Lawrence
COACH – Haley Osborne
COACH – Cathy Pardy
SPORT PHYSIOLOGIST AND INTEGRATED SUPPORT TEAM LEAD - Veronica Furno Puglia
PHYSIOTHERAPIST – Melanie Krause
ATHLETIC THERAPIST –Jean Sebastian Rondeau
RACE ANALYSIS – Mathieu Charbonneau