Penny Oleksiak to make final attempt to qualify for Olympic 100m freestyle event

When Penny Oleksiak missed out on qualifying individually for the Olympics in the 200-metre freestyle event at the Canadian swimming trials last month, she told the media “my story is not done yet.”

Two days after the 200 freestyle disappointment she narrowly missed qualifying individually for the 100 freestyle, the event she captured gold at the 2016 Rio Games. 

At that time, Oleksiak could have never predicted her next chapter would take her to Europe just weeks ahead of the Paris Olympics, but that’s what is taking place.

Canada’s most decorated Olympian is determined to qualify for the women’s 100 freestyle event at the Paris Games, and has now made plans to make one last push to do so in Europe later this month.

CBC Sports has learned the seven-time Olympic medallist is going to compete at the June 21-23 Sette Colli International Meet in Rome, the the final weekend of Olympic qualification. Spots are allocated based on time ranking.

Oleksiak will be accompanied by Swimming Canada staff as she looks to swim under the Olympic standard and qualify individually for Paris. 

WATCH | Oleksiak finishes 1st in women’s 100mfreestyle:

Named to 3rd Olympics

The 23-year-old from Toronto has already been named to the Canadian team as part of the 4×100 relay team. She won the 100 freestyle event during the trials at the Pan Am Sports Centre in the middle of May, however, her time of 53.66 seconds was an agonizing .05 short of the standard. 

“I really want that individual spot, so I’m going to do everything I can to secure it,” Oleksiak told CBC Sports at the time. 

Oleksiak will have to swim below 53.61 at the world aquatics sanctioned event in Rome to earn a spot. 

“We always work with our swimmers and their coaches to support their bespoke plans. Penny has already qualified to be a relay swimmer for Paris 2024 and we look forward to her being a strong team member once again,” John Atkinson, Swimming Canada high-performance director, said. 

“This is a solid plan for Penny. She will be well supported by coach Greg Arkhurst, a member of our Paris 2024 coaching staff, as well as other Swimming Canada support staff.”

Oleksiak is the Canadian record holder in the 100 freestyle, posting a time of 52.59 at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. But since then, Oleksiak has been plagued by injuries, including a second knee surgery four months ago.

The Canadian took her training to California last fall with the hope of returning to form ahead of trials and the Olympics. She joined a pro swimming club in the Los Angeles area where she’s switched up her training program. 

Oleksiak has been trending in the right direction for several months. At the Canadian Open in April, Oleksiak, who hadn’t competed in Canada for nearly two years, came in fourth in the 100 freestyle in a time of 54.43.

A month later, she trimmed that time to 53.66, her best finish since the 2022 world championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Oleksiak, who turns 24 next week, has two weeks to trim .05 seconds off of her time. If successful in Rome, she will compete in the 100 event at the Paris Games. 

Oleksiak shot to superstardom at the 2016 Rio Olympics when she won four medals, including gold in the 100 freestyle. Five years later in Tokyo, she won three more medals.