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21 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,A ugust 22,2019 theifp.ca Heading into her first major multi-sport Games and her first senior nation- al team competition, Tessa Cieplucha was hoping to make a splash. But it was the lack of splash that let her know she was on track to win Canada's only swimming gold medal at the Pan Am Games. Since setting four per- sonal bests at the Canadi- an swim trials in April, training had been going well. The Georgetown swimmer had put in a lot of work on the butterfly and backstroke - the two strokes that lead off her specialty, the 400-metre in- dividual medley. "I was just excited to be going," the 20-year-old said. "I had a lot of confi- dence going in. Meeting with my coaches to plan my races and knowing I had so many people sup- porting me made me feel pretty good." Thoughts of returning home with a medal had oc- casionally crossed her mind, but she tried not to dwell on it for fear of jinx- ing it. It was hard to ignore, though, as she made the turn in the breaststroke in the medley final in Lima, Peru. "At 250 m, halfway through the breaststroke, I didn't see much splash. That's usually how you tell where you are," she said. "I got that rush that I was in the lead." Cieplucha had opened up a 1.24 second lead on American Alexandra Szekely, a member of the NCAA champion Stanford swimming team. Szekely, racing well out of sight in the outside lane, was one of the swimmers Cieplucha and her coaches had talked about before the race. The book on her was that the first two strokes were her best - the exact opposite of Cieplucha, who closed with her best two. "For months coming up to the Games I had been working on butterfly and backstroke," said Cieplu- cha, who will start her ju- nior season at the Univer- sity of Tennessee this week. "I was happy to have someone to race in the race in the first half." Cieplucha was fourth, 1.17 seconds back after the butterfly, but still within striking distance with her best strokes still to come; she wouldn't have to wait for them, though. Midway through the backstroke, she had sliced the lead in half and moved into second. By the time they reached the other end of the pool, Cieplucha had taken the lead thanks to the fastest backstroke time. She was again the fas- test on the breaststroke, extending her lead from a tenth of a second to 1.54 sec- onds. That lead grew again on the first half of the free- style, until her pace caught up to her. "That last 50 m hurt a lot, more than it usually does," Cieplucha said. "I just put my head down went for the finish." Though Virgina Bar- dach, an Argentine Olym- pian, closed the gap, Cie- plucha finished in 4:41.05 to win comfortably by 1.15 seconds to claim what would be Canada's only swimming go. "I looked over at the oth- er Canadian (bronze med- allist Mary-Sophie Har- vey) and she had the big- gest smile on her face," Cie- plucha said. "It was a surreal moment, it's the biggest Games, the biggest meet I've ever been to." Cieplucha hopes it doesn't remain that way for long. "Definitely having done that, even though the time wasn't super special, just getting that experience un- der my belt, it gives me a lot more confidence going in- to the Olympic trials." COMMUNITY CIEPLUCHA SETS SIGHTS ON OLYMPICS AFTER PAN AM GOLD HERB GARBUTT hgarbutt@metroland.com Georgetown's Tessa Cieplucha competes in the 400-metre individual medley final at the Pan Am Games. Competing for Canada's senior national team for the first time, Cieplucha won Canada's only swimming gold medal. David Jackson/COC UP TO 70% OFF on select Spring & Summer in-stock items! BBQ'S & Accessories • Patio Furniture Patio Stones Soil & Mulch • Lawn & Garden Care products • and MORE! Selection varies by location. In stock only. Sale ends Sept 27, 2019 211 ARMSTRONG AVENUE, GEORGETOWN, ONTARIO • 905.702.9728 • strictlydance.ca • strictlydance@hotmail.com • StrictlyDance10 • @StrictlyDance10 Now Accepting Registrations COME JOIN OUR FAMILY It's more than just dance. Through dance, we are able to create a positive learning environment that promotes confidence, teamwork, discipline and personal growth. No matter your age or ability, we have the perfect program for you. We can't wait to have you join our family. Monday August 26th - Thursday August 29th 9:00 am - 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm