Swimming Canada Names Aiden Norman Male Junior Swimmer of the Year
Swimming Canada last week named Aiden Norman its male junior swimmer of the year.
Norman, 18, hails from the University of Calgary Swim Club. Norman was a standout at the 2024 Junior Pan Pacific Championships, doing the male backstroke double to go with four relay medals (two silver, two bronze).
“It means so much to me to be named Junior Swimmer of the Year as there are so many great young swimmers in Canada,” Norman said in a press release. “It is an honour. The past year leading into the Canadian Olympic Trials and the Junior Pan Pacific Championships had so many ups and downs, but to see all of the work that I put in pay off means the world to me and I’m happy that I got to end my junior career off on such a high note.”
Norman started swimming at age six and admitted he “completely sucked at swimming” until about age 10. He stuck with, especially through the COVID-19 pandemic, when months away from training tested his connection to the sport. But his family encouraged him to keep going. He’s now a freshman at the University of Florida, one of a quintet of Canadians in Gainesville that includes Olympic medalist Josh Liendo.
He represented Canada at the 2023 World Junior Championships. At Olympic Trials, he fell shy of a spot at the Paris Games, finishing third in the 100 backstroke in 53.99, .25 seconds off the A cut that two countrymen hit. He was tied for third in the 200 back at 1.4 seconds off the A cut, which was achieved by Blake Tierney in a national record.
Instead of Paris, he became a leader for Team Canada in Canberra, the squad having its most successful meet ever two golds (both Norman’s) and 16 total medals.
“I am not usually eager to be a leader, but I am willing to be one when I need to be,” Norman said. “Carl told me before I left that I would need to be a leader, as I had a solid amount of international experience. Taking this responsibility seriously, I prepared myself to help guide the team toward success. This journey has taught me invaluable lessons about leadership and prepared me for future challenges.”
“He’s always had good physical abilities, but the maturity and attention to detail he’s shown in recent years is a credit to him,” University of Calgary Swim Club Carl Simonson said. “It takes time, it’s a process and he had to grow from a young boy to a young man. He has placed a huge trust in me, and I felt a big responsibility to him because of that.”
great young man