±«Óătv swimmer David Sharpe is officially headed to London â and making history in the process.
Mr. Sharpe was nominated to Canadaâs Olympic team back in March after a come-from-behind win in the 200-metre butterfly at the Olympic trials in Montreal. However, because he finished just under the official qualifying time, he had to wait until last Friday for Swimming Canada and FINA, the international governing body for competitive swimming, to confirm his spot on the roster.
He will be the first able-bodied male swimmer from Nova Scotia to ever compete in the Olympics, and only the third able-bodied swimmer period (the first in almost 30 years).
âItâs all starting to come together right now,â says Mr. Sharpe, who met with media and supporters at the Dalplex pool Tuesday morning. Tomorrow, he leaves for Montreal to train with the rest of Team Canadaâs swimmers.
âI still have a month more of preparation, and Iâm excited to head to Montreal and post a fast time at those meets. Itâs been difficult [training the past few months], and the uncertainty added to that, but training is always hard.â
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After Montreal, Mr. Sharpe, a BSc student and Academic All-Canadian at Dal, will travel to Italy with the team for a two-week staging camp before heading to London. He competes in the pool on Monday, July 30. Heats for his event, the 200-metre butterfly, are scheduled to start at 10:38 a.m. London time â thatâs 6:38 a.m. here in Halifax.
His familyâparents Jim and Helen, and sister Susanâwonât need to worry about the time difference, as theyâll be watching from the stands of the newly-built Aquatics Centre in London.
âItâs so gratifying, when youâve seen him work so long for this,â says his mom, Helen. âWe always knew he had great athletic ability, but this last year heâs really shown his ability to work with his coaches on strategy as well.â
Inspiring future athletes
Sue Jackson, president of Swim Nova Scotia, says having Mr. Sharpe on the Olympic team will be a huge boost for the sport in the province.
âItâs wonderful for all those kids in the pool who have those dreams,â she says. âThey now have a face to look up to. They sat on the deck with David Sharpe and think, âIf he did it, I can do it.â The dreams get bigger now.â
âWhen I was a little kid, when I was young, I didnât have any Olympians walking around on deck, or even anybody on the national team,â notes Mr. Sharpe. âSo now, hopefully I can be that guy to the younger kids. They can see me and be, âThatâs how good I can get training in Nova Scotia.ââ
Karen Moore, director of varsity athletics at Dal, hopes Mr. Sharpeâs success inspires other students who want to make athletics part of their lives at the university.
âThe biggest message it sends is that you can come to university out east and get to the highest level of your sport,â she says. âI think it will be a great thing for ±«Óătv and for swimming programs across Nova Scotia to prove to people that we can train here and reach that level.â
The swim of his life
Mr. Sharpe is a methodical athlete, and heâs razor-focused on performing to the best of his abilities in London. To him, everything else about the Gamesâthe social experience, the other sports, the cultural eventsâis secondary to the race.
âIâm excited to race, to get up on the blocks and post a good time. After that, I can enjoy the whole Games experience. But Iâm going as an athlete, not a spectator; my primary goal is racing fast.
âI hope to get a best time, and have the best swim of my life.â
Mr. Sharpe wasn't the only Dal-linked Haligonian to earn an Olympic spot weekend: former Tigers standout Geoff Harris made Team Canada after winning his first 800-metre national title at the Canadian track and field trials in Calgary on Saturday.