His first time ever swimming in relay events and Jacob Brayshaw helps establish a new national mark.
Brayshaw, 19, from Coldstream, swam the breaststroke length for Canada in the Mixed 4 x 50 metre Individual Medley 20 points relay at the World Para Swimming Championships Tuesday, June 14, in Madeira, Portugal.
He teamed up with Shelby Newkirk of Saskatoon, Felix Cowan of Brossard, Que., and Jordan Tucker from Guelph, Ont., to set a new Canadian standard of 3 minutes 40.02 seconds as Canada placed eighth in the final.
The Canadian quartet improved their time in the final by more than 20 seconds over their heat time of 4:01.64.
The U.S. won gold with a World Record time of 2:32.49. Italy won the silver medal and Spain captured the bronze.
Brayshaw suffers from muscular dystrophy and is classified as an S2 swimmer. The lower the number, the higher the disability. The 20-point relays feature teams of four whose class numbers added up can’t exceed 20 points. Brayshaw brought two points to the Canadian team.
“It’s been a ton of fun,” said Brayshaw in a video interview with CBC Sports posted to Facebook by his coach, Renate Terpstra of Vernon. The pair train at the Vernon Recreation Complex but both compete for Penticton’s KISU Swim Club.
“We got to know everyone at our training camp and figured out the order, and we were practising takeovers and stuff. It’s been really fun, such a cool experience.”
The same Canadian quartet competed in the 4 x 50m freestyle relay Monday, June 13, and placed seventh in the final with a time of 3:51.68.
Brayshaw made his World Championship debut on the event’s opening day Sunday, June 12, competing for Canada in the 50-metre SB2 breaststroke. He was seventh in his heat with a time of 1:54.67, and did not qualify for the final.
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roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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