KAZAN, Russia – Canada doubled its medal total as both Ryan Cochrane and Emily Overholt captured bronze to wrap up FINA World Championships Sunday in Kazan, Russia.
Ryan Cochrane earned Canada’s third bronze medal of the championships thanks to a time of 14:51.08 in the men’s 1,500-m freestyle. Italian Gregorio Paltrinieri won in a European record 14:39.67, followed by Connor Jaeger of Fair Haven, N.J., in an American record 14:41.20. Defending champion Sun Yang of China was a surprise non-starter.
Combined with his 400-m bronze from earlier in the meet, that brings Cochrane’s all-time total to eight, best in Canadian history. It was the fourth straight medal in the event for the 26-year-old Cochrane, an incredible feat of consistency and longevity accomplished only by Australian legend Grant Hackett.
Cochrane’s effort capped a long year of highs and lows, including the death of his longtime coach Randy Bennett in April and a double gold medal performance at last month’s Pan Am Games in Toronto.
The Swimming Canada High Performance Centre – Victoria swimmer dedicated his medal to Bennett, and reflected on what he and his teammates, including Pan Am Games gold medallist Hilary Caldwell, have gone through.
From veteran to newcomer, 17-year-old Overholt followed Cochrane with a blistering Canadian record of 4:32.52 to take bronze in the women’s 400-m individual medley
“I knew I had to be at my best,” said the world championships rookie. “Making my first world final was a huge step. I didn’t have anything to lose and I’m really happy with how it went.”
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