www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday May 9, 2008 - 49 Assaad wins 11 golds, sets record Gamal Assaad brought home 11 gold medals and a piece of Oakville Aquatic Club history from the Hamilton McMaster Spring Invitational. In addition to his gold medal haul, Assaad set a new club record of 31.06 seconds in the 50m butterfly, breaking the two-year-old record of Kent Kikot. Kikot didn't have a bad meet himself, winning 13 medals, including seven golds. In all, OAK swimmers won 60 gold, 44 silver and 40 bronze medals. Other big medal winners included Mack Darragh (eight gold, four silver); Mika Spencer (eight gold, two bronze); Emily Hunt (six gold, two silver, two bronze) and Annie Harrison (five gold, three silver and three bronze). The following is a list of the OAK medalists: Girls 11-12: Hunt (gold 50m, 100m, 200m back, 50m, 100m, 200m fly; silver 50m, 200m free; bronze 400m free, 400m IM); Cassandra Pedro (silver 100m free; 50m fly; 200m fly; bronze 100m fly). Girls 13-14: Spencer (gold 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 1500m free, 50m, 100m fly, 200m IM; bronze 100m back, 400m IM); Harrison (gold 100m, 200m back, 800m free, 200m fly, 400m IM; silver 200m, 400m free, 200m IM; bronze 50m back, 50m, 100m fly); Avery Longmore (gold 200m breast; silver 50m, 100m breast); Bridget Jordan (silver 50m free); Sharalynn Missiuna (bronze 50m free, 50m, 100m, 200m breast); Julia Sinkovits (bronze 100m, 200m free) Jenna Wood (bronze 200m fly); Kelsie McNeill (bronze 1500m free). Girls 15 and over: Erin Assman (gold 200m free, 200m fly, 400m IM; bronze 800m free); Veronica Davis-Freeman (gold 200m breast; silver 400m IM; bronze 100m breast, 200m fly); Marina MacDougall (gold 100m free; silver 100m back); Hilary Turk (gold 100m back; bronze 200m back); Katie Fox (silver 50m fly; bronze 200m free, 200m breast, 200m IM); Karina Sils (silver 200m fly; bronze 100m back); Tera Van Beilen (silver 200m free; bronze 100m free); Jennifer Wilson (silver 200m breast); Alana Boffa (bronze 400m IM). Boys 11-12: Assaad (gold 50m, 100m, 400m, 1500m free); 50m, 100m, 200m back, 50m, 100m, 200m fly, 400m IM); Evan White (gold 50m, 100m, 200m breast; silver 200m free, 200m fly; bronze 400m free, 400m IM); Mitchell Gour (silver 50m, 100m, 1500m free, 50m, 100m, 200m back, 50m breast, 100m fly, 400m IM; bronze 200m free, 50m fly). Boys 13-14: Darragh (gold 400m, 1500m free, 200m back, 50m, 200m breast, 200m fly, 200m, 400m IM; silver 50m, 200m free, 50m, 100m fly); Kikot (gold 50m, 100m, 200m, 800m free, 100m back, 50m, 100m fly; silver 200m back, 200m fly, 200m IM; bronze 400m free, 100m breast, 400m IM); Nathan Lang (gold 50m back; silver 100m back; bronze 50m, 100m free, 200m back). Boys 15 and over: Miguel Lozano (gold 200m, 1500m free; 200m fly; silver 400m free); Brody Dyson, gold 800m free; silver 100m, 200m back); Graham Fink (silver 100m free; bronze 200m free); Dylan Kent (silver 1500m free, 200m breast, 400m IM; bronze 100m, 200m back); Matt Lawson (silver 200m fly); John Steadman (bronze 100m free). Olympic champ `not afraid of pressure' Continued from page 48 with the national team. "He's a little more sure of himself." Van Koeverden now has 16 career World Cup victories -- the last 10 coming in an impressive streak that has seen him sweep the 500m and 1,000m titles at the last five World Cup events -- and last summer added the one gold medal that had eluded him in his career by winning the 500m (in world record time) at the world championships. "It sounds funny to expect to win every race," the 26-year-old said, "but if I race my best, I certainly expect to." Others will also expect Canada's flag bearer at the last closing ceremonies to deliver again. The expectations of a nation don't bother van Koeverden, though. "I'm not afraid of the pressure," he said. He is well aware that winning is not a given, even when he's at his best. In his lone World Cup loss in the past two years -- in the 2006 season-opener -- van Koeverden actually broke the 1,000m world record time only to be edged by less than a tenth of a second by New Zealand's Ben Fouhy. So if his World Cup streak ends before the Adam van Koeverden Olympics, van Koeverden won't be panicking. "I really can't expect to win every race. I can demand it of myself but it's pretty tough to say the only performance I can accept is six out of six (wins). I can only control myself. If someone shows up and beats me, more power to them." But if you don't give him his due as the one to beat, well then, watch out. Winston Churchill 24 ALL SHOW TIMES ARE SUPPLIED BY THE THEATRES