A 15-year old Canadian girl came up with exemplary performance during the ongoing national Olympic swimming trials at Toronto. As prodigal as the girl may prove, Penny Oleksiak has performed a remarkable feat and earned Olympic qualifications in three events in two days. On Tuesday, Penny finished the100-metre butterfly swimming in the fifth fastest time in the world this year and earned a spot for Rio. Next day, Penny did even better and clinched two more Olympic berths by finishing second to Canadian national champion Britanny Maclean in 200m freestyle. Britanny erased a 2009 national mark in the event with a time of 1:56.94 and by virtue of their wins, Britanny and Penny were also named in the Canadian team for 4×200 freestyle. For Penny, even more remarkable than earning three Olympic berths is the fact that she took to training in the aquatic sports just 5 years ago. On Tuesday, Penny’s time of 56.99 for 100m butterfly was the new Canadian record. The trials haven’t ended yet and Penny has chances to qualify in more events. Team Canada head coach Ben Titley is highly impressed by the physical attributes of the young and slim Penny, who stands 6’1” tall. Titley said he was surprised that Penny had not taken any swimming training until the age of 10 and added that from not swimming at all to becoming Canada’s fastest ever in five years was a huge jump.
Rio Olympic Update: 15-year Old Penny Oleksiak Canadian Girl Punches Swimming Tickets in Three Events
