CLEVELAND, Ohio – It’s been a week to remember so far for Lorne McDougall and Kelly Robertson.
The teammates with the Thunder Bay Thunder Rays masters swim club have reached the podium on multiple occasions heading into the final day of swimming races at the 2024 Pan-American Masters Games in Cleveland, Ohio.
“It’s pretty exciting for both of us,” McDougall said. “You’re competing with people from different countries and it’s an opportunity to meet new friends and hopefully see them at future swim meets.”
“It’s a global meet too and not just limited to those from North and South America,” Robertson said. “I heard there’s over 4,000 athletes representing 79 different counties at these games and the chance to meet and compete with so many people from around the world is super nice.”
Going into Saturday’s competitions, Robertson has won three gold medals in the women’s 60-64 division.
She placed first in the 400-metre and 800m freestyle races and was part of a winning 200m medley squad that included Sue Weir of Sarnia and Ottawa swimmers Michaela Wallace and Brigitte Zirger.
“I was pretty pleased with my performance back in March at our provincials (in Markham) so that was a bit of a benchmark for me coming into this meet,” Roberton said.
“At my age, it’s all about trying not to get slower, so that’s my goal whenever I’m at a race like this.”
Meanwhile, McDougall has won a gold medal in the men’s 75-79 division’s 400m freestyle race, a silver medal in the 100m freestyle, and a bronze medal in the 50m freestyle.
“One of my friends here and Kelly have been videotaping my races, so having the opportunity to actually watch my swims has been really helpful in terms of what I need to improve,” McDougall said.
“After I won the silver medal, I saw what I needed to do to go faster in my next race, and I was able to do that.”
McDougall and Robertson have both competed at major international events before, but they always look forward to the opportunity to travel elsewhere to test their skills.
“It’s always a new experience,” McDougall said.
“Everyone here in Cleveland has done a great job with this event and it’s a very nice city with a lot of similarities to Thunder Bay,” Robertson said.
“It’s been a lot of fun, especially since I get to swim with my buddy Lorne.”
