WEYBURN – Olympic bronze medalist Chantal van Landeghem held a swim camp with the Weyburn Silver Seals swim club on Friday, working with the swimmers in groups throughout the day in the outdoor pool.
This was to help the Silver Seals prepare for competing in the provincials, hosted by Weyburn on Saturday and Sunday, with over 500 swimmers from around the province taking part.
She also did a classroom session with the Silver Seals in the evening, sharing her story and focusing on managing nerves and mindfulness. Chantal will also be the keynote speaker for the banquet for the provincial swim meet, on Saturday evening at the Curling Rink.
A native of Winnipeg, van Landeghem won bronze for Canada at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, as part of the 4X100 relay, Canada’s first medal in this event in 40 years.
She specializes in the butterfly and freestyle swimming events. She preceded the Olympics by winning three medals at the Pan Am Games in 2015, including gold in the 100m freestyle and as the anchor of the 4x100m freestyle relay, both in Pan Am record time.
At the FINA World Championships that followed, Van Landeghem broke her own national record to finish fifth in the 50m freestyle. She also just missed the 100m freestyle final by 0.01.
Her perseverance paid off as she earned a spot on the 2013 World Championship team, finishing ninth in the 50m freestyle, missing the final by 0.05.
In 2014, Van Landeghem competed at the Pan Pacific Championships where she won bronze in the 50m freestyle and 4x100m medley relay. Van Landeghem earned Manitoba Athlete of the Year honours in 2011 after competing at both the FINA World Championships and Junior World Championships, winning five medals at the latter, including silver in the 100m freestyle and bronze in the 50m freestyle.
Van Landeghem also helped the University of Georgia win back-to-back NCAA Championships as a freshman and sophomore in 2012-13 and 2013-14.
Now 28 years old, Chantal retired from competitive swimming in December of 2017.
