Participating in an event like the Commonwealth Games is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Winning on an international stage in front of a huge TV audience is exhilarating, but most young athletes are just happy to be there. That’s why not one member of Team Canada came home from the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England empty-handed. The memories and friendships that were made there will last a lifetime. But four U of T students did bring back physical testaments to their athletic prowess.
U of T students shone brightly at the international competition, bringing home seven medals, all won in the pool. Jennifer Button, Craig Hutchinson, Claire Carver-Dias and Fanny Letourneau are all proud owners of the new hardware.
Button captured bronze in both the 100-metre butterfly and the 4×200-metre freestyle events. Hutchinson also won two bronze medals, in the 4×100-metre medley and the 4×100-metre freestyle.
Carver-Dias was U of T’s golden girl, bringing home gold medals in solo synchronized swimming and in duet synchronized swimming with her partner Fanny Letourneau.
Swimmer Liz Warden and track specialist Althea Williams just missed the podium, but had impressive results nonetheless. Warden placed fourth in two events (200-metre and 400-metre individual medleys), while Williams finished a close fifth in the triple jump.
In team sports, U of T athletes helped guide Canada to two top ten finishes. Emily Rix, Deb Cuthbert and coach Beth Ali helped the field hockey team place seventh and Sharon Butler was instrumental in Canada’s tenth place finish in netball.
Now that the games are over and September is here, the attention of many U of T athletes will once again be focused on the upcoming academic year and the new intercollegiate season. But a few will be lucky enough to compete again in four years, when Melbourne, Australia hosts the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
