The Olympic dream is set to take flight for a second time for Finlay Knox.
The 23-year-old Okotokian charges into the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games, which run July 26 to Aug. 11, as the reigning world champion in the 200m individual medley.
The 200m IM, featuring all four strokes, has long been the signature event for Knox, a multi-time national record holder, world champion and Pan American Games gold medallist.
At the Canadian Olympic Swimming Trials in May, he set a new national benchmark with a 1:56.07, taking off considerable time from his previous record earned in a gold medal performance at the world championships. His trials performance is the sixth fastest entry time the field of medley competitors.
The 200m IM has traditionally been a strong event for U.S. swimmers. The legendary duo of Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps own the world (1:54.00) and Olympic (1:54.23) records in the event, respectively.
Knox grew up with the Okotoks Mavericks Swim Club, under the tutelage of longtime coach Todd Melton, before joining Canada’s High Performance Centre following high school.
The Foothills Composite alumnus is now based out of the High Performance Centre in Vancouver. He finished 17th in the 200m IM event in his Olympic debut in 2021.
The Paris 2024 Games are expected to be a prolific competition for Canadian swimmers, pegged by pundits as arguably the best team the nation has ever produced.
Summer McIntosh, with four world championship titles at just 17, is expected to be among the top performers along with multi-time medallists Kylie Masse, Maggie Mac Neil, Penny Oleksiak as well as the likes of Josh Liendo, Ilya Kharun and Knox all considered medal threats.
Masse, Liendo, second-time Olympian Marie Sophie-Harvey and first-time qualifier Jeremy Bagshaw were named the swim team captains last month.
The swim team centralized its training in the Normandy city of Caen, visiting nearby Juno Beach and getting a tour of the Juno Beach Centre, ahead of the start of the Games. The swim team moved into the Athletes Village on July 22.
The 200m IM heats begin on Aug. 1 with the semifinal later that day. The 200m IM final is held on Aug. 2 at 12:43 p.m. MST.
The swimming portion of the Summer Olympics runs from July 27 to Aug. 4 at La Defense Arena.
CBC Sports is broadcasting the Olympic Games, schedules for TV and online streams are available here.
For more information, go to Olympics.ca.
