Ashton swimmer Regan Rathwell wins first senior Team Canada berth after 4 surgeries in 14 months

REGAN RATHWELL
Sport: Swimming
Event: women’s 200-metre backstroke
Age: 20
Hometown: Ashton
Residence: Knoxville, TN
Local Club: Greater-Ottawa Kingfish
First Olympics
Instagram: @reganrathwell

VIEW REGAN’S COMPETITION SCHEDULE HERE.

By Adam Beauchemin

It was a pinch-me moment when Regan Rathwell unexpectedly qualified to swim in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games women’s 200-metre backstroke event, and she’s now prepared to savour the dream opportunity.

The 20-year old swimmer from Ashton, ON surprised many — including herself — in the Canadian Olympic team trials by posting a personal-best time of 2:09.38 in the 200 m back to book her ticket to her first Olympics.

“The initial reaction was shock. I was like ‘Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I just did that,” recounts Rathwell, who earned her first senior national team berth. “And then, the second reaction was relief.”

In 2022, Rathwell moved to the United States to swim for the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. However, since 2022, she also experienced a slew of setbacks.

A broken foot and a torn labrum kept her out of consecutive national team trials in 2022 and 2023. Over a period of 14 months, she underwent four surgeries.

“The first one I got through okay,” Rathwell recalls. “But after that, each little thing brought me down just a little bit more.”

To top it all off, Rathwell suffered a concussion just weeks before May’s Olympic trials in Toronto. The injury sidelined her for several important weeks ahead of the trials and left her feeling unsure about her qualifying prospects.

“I’m going to be completely honest with you, I had absolutely no expectations,” she highlights.

However, when it came time to race, Rathwell shattered her own expectations by posting a time below the Olympic qualification standard and coming in second place to four-time Olympic medalist Kylie Masse.

“I had to work that much harder for it in the end — much harder than I thought I would have to,” Rathwell indicates. “It just makes it that much more special.”

The University of Tennessee Lady Volunteer says she’s developed a new mindset towards the sport, thanks in part to the adversity she faced.

“Through all the injuries, I’ve learned that the best way to approach meets moving forward is not to have any expectations,” she explains. “Just strive to be the best athlete in and out of the water that I can be, and then let the rest fall into place.

“I’m learning that I’m here for the enjoyment of it, as opposed to the result.”

The Greater-Ottawa Kingfish product attributes her ability to persevere through the hitches and glitches in large part to her strong support network that believed in her even when she didn’t believe in herself.

“It really took a village to get there,” Rathwell underlines. “A lot of people got to share that experience with me, which made it so much more special.”

Rathwell says her coaches and trainers were essential to helping her through the injuries and guiding her through new training programs. She also says she feels a sense of relief at knowing their hard work was worth it in the end.

Rathwell also notes that she received plenty of support from her community in her hometown of Ashton, in Ottawa’s rural southwest, plus her coaches with the Kingfish.

“My coach there, Jason Allen, was the first one that really got me going,” notes Rathwell, who won a bronze medal at the 2017 Canada Summer Games when she was 13. “Everyone on that team has been beyond supportive right from when I got there when I was 12 years old until now.”

Rathwell will soon be heading to Normandy to take part in a 10-day training camp prior to the Games. She says she’s thrilled to get the opportunity to represent her country on the world stage, and to share this moment with her family.

Rathwell’s parents will be making the trip to see her compete in Paris, while her sister Kylar recently pursued skiing aerials as an RBC Olympian before turning her attention to nursing studies at the University of Ottawa.

“My parents and my sister were over the moon — they were probably even more excited than I was,” Rathwell smiles.

COMPETITION SCHEDULE:

Regan Rathwell (swimming)

Regan Rathwell (swimming)

Regan Rathwell (swimming)

In the weeks leading up to the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the Ottawa Sports Pages will be profiling participating local athletes. From July 24-Aug. 11, we’ll be providing daily Ottawa at the Olympics coverage via our free email newsletter. Sign up below to follow along!

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