March 28, 2012

Dalhousie's David Sharpe wins 200m butterfly event at Canadian Olympic swimming trials

Source: AUS Communications

HALIFAX, N.S. - Dalhousie Tigers swimming star David Sharpe finished first in the 200m butterfly and grabbed an Olympic nomination from lane eight on Wednesday evening at the Canadian Olympic swimming trials in Montreal.

The men's 200 butterfly provided an exciting result to open the evening. Sharpe, who got the eighth and last qualifying spot for the evening final, shocked everyone but himself to win the race in 1:58.81. The time is also a new Nova Scotia record. Zack Chetrat of Toronto was second in 1:58.83.

Technically, Sharpe is nominated to the Canadian Olympic team, however the official team will be announced later.

Sharpe, who was ranked fourth in the event going into the trials, led after the first split, but was fourth at the 100-metre turn. He was third with 50 metres remaining and was able to chase down the leaders over the final length.
"I expected to win," said Sharpe in a Swimming Canada news release. "Nobody else did but that's how I need to think if I'm going to finish first. This morning I made some bad mistakes and it didn't go the way I wanted. I knew the adjustments I had to make and it paid off."

Sharpe is a third-year science student at Dalhousie University who was named the AUS swimmer of the year for the third consecutive time this season.

A native of Halifax, N.S., David won CIS gold earlier this month in the 200m butterfly and also took home CIS bronze medals in both the 50m backstroke and 100m butterfly events. He was also named a CIS first team all-Canadian for the third consecutive year.

In February, at the 2012 Subway AUS swimming championship, he also finished first in the 50m backstroke, the 100m backstroke, the 200m butterfly, and 400m medley relay events.

There are a number of AUS and CIS student-athletes competing at the trials, which run until Sunday at the Olympic Park Sport Centre in Montreal.

For the Swimming Canada release on Sharpe's victory, visit https://www.swimming.ca/NewsArticle.aspx?newsid=3065. For complete information on the trials, visit www.swimtrials.ca.

Note: Sportsnet will carry the finals live each evening and the event is also being streamed online at http://swimcanweb.tv/.