Sports

Local swimmer competes in Junior Olympic trials

June 19, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

Local swimmer Matthew Blackwell continues to do well in national competitions, attending meets across the country while improving his place in the standings.

In March, Blackwell won two gold medals competing in the 16-year-old category. He won gold in the 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly events.

In April, Blackwell travelled to the Canadian Open Swim Championships held at the Edmonton Kinsmen Sports Centre.

He made the A final in the 200-meter butterfly and was the top seed in the B final for the 100-meter butterfly. He finished eighth overall in two races in an event against all age groups.

Blackwell competed in the 2025 Bell Canadian Olympic and Junior Olympic Trials, held at the Victoria Saanich Commonwealth Place in Victoria, B.C, from June 7 to 12.

He competed in an event for swimmers born in 2007 and younger. Blackwell finished sixth in the Junior Final.

He tied for first reserve in the 50-meter butterfly. There was a swim-off to determine who would be first and Blackwell swam a personal best of 25.26 seconds to be the first reserve.

This was a huge effort from Blackwell. He arrived seeded 54th among all entries. After his qualifying swim, he achieved a personal best and moved up to the 22nd seed position.

Blackwell is looking forward to this year’s events and achieving more success in the pool. 


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