Cochrane takes silver in London

LONDON – In his best-ever time, Victoria B.C.’s Ryan Cochrane held on late to push through the last 50 metres of the 1,500m freestyle final Saturday night for a silver medal and a new Canadian record.

“I showed I’m still progressing – to be faster than four years ago is fantastic.  I wanted to go out with a bang,” Cochrane said. “I knew I needed to be out hard and I knew I needed to draw on my strengths instead of other peoples’. When I was feeling good around the 750m mark I knew it was time to go and test the waters every 100-150 metres, and I still felt great.’’

His performance marked the third podium of the day for Canada in a time of 14:39.63 and brought the country’s medal count to 10.

“I am so happy for Ryan and so proud,” said 2012 Canadian Olympic Team Chef de Mission Mark Tewksbury. “The 1,500m is such a grueling event and it takes heart and dedication to push through it. Ryan has worked so hard and we can all be proud of his performance tonight – a Canadian Record and a silver medal.”

“Once again, Ryan has come through with a medal performance on the last night of swimming,” said Assistant Chef de Mission Sylvie Bernier. “He is so impressive and such an inspiration.”

“Ryan Cochrane has proven once again that he is among the best in the world,” said Canadian Olympic Committee President Marcel Aubut. “Canadian athletes are world-class and Ryan is a perfect example of our potential. Congratulations to him on a splendid race!”

Canadian Olympic Committee Media Office:

Martin Richard, Media Attaché, Swimming
Tel: +44 7714000803
Email: mrichard@olympic.ca

Jane Almeida, Media Relations Officer, 2012 Canadian Olympic Team
Tel: +44 7714000818
Email: jalmeida@olympic.ca