Canadian Olympian Emily Overholt announced her retirement from swimming Thursday after falling short of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics.
Overholt was part of the Canadian team for the Rio Olympics in 2016 at age 18. She finished fifth in the 400 individual medley and 25th in the 400 freestyle. As a last-minute fill-in, she helped the Canadian women’s 800 free relay win a bronze medal.
Overholt made the announcement via Instagram, citing an injury that required surgery in January for slowing her in 2021.
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Writes Overholt:
After 15 unforgettable years, my swimming career has come to an end. Injuries are part of sport and after having surgery in January my body wasn’t ready to do what I wanted so badly. I am endlessly grateful for this journey and I’m looking forward to starting the next chapter!
Overholt finished second at Canadian Olympic Trials in the 400 free, but she was four seconds shy of the Olympic A standard. She won the 200 butterfly, but her time of 2:11.16 didn’t meet the Olympic A standard (2:08.43). Overholt was also eighth in the 200 free. She did not swim the 400 IM, in which Sydney Pickrem had already been provisionally selected for a spot in Tokyo.
Overholt burst onto the international scene in 2015, winning bronze in the 400 IM at the World Championships. She also won gold in the 400 free and silver in the 200 free at the Pan American Games.
She struggled with depression after Rio, a battle she’s been open about. It cost the Vancouver native a large chunk of her career at the University of British Columbia, and she missed the 2017 World Championships due to a hamstring injury.
However, she returned to international prominence by 2019, winning a bronze in the 800 free relay at Worlds. She finished fifth in the 400 IM in Gwangju. Overholt also participated in the 2020 International Swimming League season with the Toronto Titans.