July 7, 2004
CBC Sports Online

Malar sinks at Olympic swim trials

When the Canadian Olympic swimming trials opened Tuesday night, few surprises were expected. But instead of the familiar names earning trips to the Athens Summer Games, it was the unfamiliar ones.

Joanne Malar, who came out of retirement last year with the goal of swimming in Athens, failed in her bid to make a fourth Olympics when she finished fourth in the 400-metre individual medley at the qualifying meet in Etobicoke, Ont.

Instead, it was Liz Warden who stole the spotlight that Malar had so often enjoyed during her prominent swimming career.

Warden, a Toronto native, secured her Olympic nomination by winning the race in four minutes and 42.62 seconds, a personal best by more than three seconds and a time that easily beat the qualifying standard of 4:45.65.

Carrie Burgoyne of Calgary was second in 4:49.31, Kristen Bradley of Newmarket, Ont., third in 4:49.46 and Malar of Hamilton was fourth in 4:50.17.

"Four years ago I went into trials hoping to make the Olympic team, this year I knew I was going to make it. This is awesome," said Warden, 26, headed to her first Olympics. "This is everything I have been working for for 20 years. It's really surreal.

"It was a lofty goal to swim that fast but I put it together tonight."

Warden's ecstacy was Malar's agony.

"Complete disappointment," Malar told reporters after almost every swimmer had left the Olympium Pool.

"In life sometimes you plan for everything to go well, you believe everything is going to go well, and then it doesn't."

Malar's last chance to earn an Olympic berth will come Thursday in the 200 IM. She must finish first or second and meet the qualifying time of 2:14.71.

She'll be in tough to make it in that distance with both Warden and three-time Olympian Marianne Limpert in the field.

"It's going to be a dogfight," said Malar. "I need to kick back, get my head together, get everything back to where I know where it can be and stand up Thursday."

Competition continues Wednesday.

reprinted with permission