A 15-year-old swimmer from Riverview is heading to Budapest, Hungary this summer to represent Canada at the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships.
Brooklyn Douthwright spends around 16 hours a week at the pool, plus training outside the water as well, but she loves it, “While I am swimming, I enjoy what I am doing. I think it is worth it. Competitions like this show that it pays off. I don’t mind the workload that comes with having to swim at this level.”
She is currently in Quebec City gearing up for the 2019 Speedo Eastern Canadian Championships. Prior to that, she spent a week in Ontario at the Canadian Swimming Trials, where she swam to qualify for the world junior event in Hungary. Next, she’ll head home to New Brunswick, where she’ll take a few days off before beginning her training for Hungary.
“I was training pretty hard coming up to this competition so keeping up that level of training into August is the goal and to keep improving from now until then,” Douthwright says.
A lot of the younger swimmers at her home club the Codiac Vikings Aquatic Club look up to her. Her advice to them, “Just keep training hard and have fun. Focus on what you are doing.”
Jacob Gallant of the Fredericton Aquanauts is also heading to Hungary, for the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships.
They will be held August 20-25.
This year many of the athletes heading to Budapest have their sights set on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Para swimmer Danielle Dorris of Club de Natation Bleu et Or in Moncton will also represent Canada as a member of the World Para Championship Team. There’s no word yet on where that event will be held.