COC Sports Shorts: Swimmer Mike Brown Retires
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Leaving the Pool: Two-time Olympian Mike Brown has decided to move on from competitive swimming. And what a competitor he proved to be. The breaststroke expert saved his best for last at the Water Cube in Beijing where he just missed an Olympic medal. In the 200-metre breaststroke final, Brown and two other swimmers touched the end wall at virtually the same time. Silver to Australia in 2:08.88 and bronze to France in 2:08.94. Brown claimed what one of them had to – fourth place at 2:09.03. Nine-100ths of a second away from bronze.
Brown’s career includes many more highlights in the 200-metre breaststroke. He set a new Canadian record in Beijing. At the Athens 2004 Olympic Games, Brown also reached the finals and finished sixth. In 2005, he delighted the Montreal crowd in winning a silver medal at the World Championships. He is also a two-time Commonwealth Games medallist in the event, including gold in 2006. Brown, a picture of perseverance, retires at 25.
Cartwheels by the Bay: Running May 29 to June 6 in Hamilton is the 2009 Canadian gymnastics championships. Fans can watch all four disciplines, artistic, trampoline, tumbling and rhythmic, at their very best. They can also catch trampoline routines by triple Olympic medallist Karen Cockburn and 2008 silver medallist Jason Burnett, currently ranked No. 1 in the world. Canada also has some excellent young talent in 2008 Olympians Rosannagh MacLennan, Nathan Gafuik, Adam Wong and Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs. As well, Casey Sandy returns to the fold after three years with Penn State where he was named top college gymnast in the U.S.
California ‘Boarding: The gang’s in California. Canada’s top snowboarders are assembling in Mammoth Mountain in their initial off-season training. The halfpipe athletes (led by 2009 world silver medallist Jeff Batchelor) have already spent the past two weeks at Mammoth. Joining them on June 1 are teammates from alpine and snowboard cross, led respectively by 2009 world champion Jasey-Jay Anderson and 2006 Olympic bronze medallist Domonique Maltais. It’s the first of 17 training camps for the snowboard team that stretch across the globe
