Nanoose Bay’s Kelly Aspinall is back home in B.C. after capping off his breakout season with a record setting swim in Russia.
In the mix at the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia, last week, the former RAC Breaker and UBC standout powered his way to a new Canadian record in the 50 Fly.
His swim of 23:52 was a personal best, and trimmed 14/100ths of a second off the previous record, set in 2009, and earned him fourth overall, just missing a medal.
The winning time of 23:28 was a tie between Belarus and the Ukraine.
“That was just great to watch…it was a great swim,” said mom Peg. She and Kelly’s dad Bob watched the swim online and “are so proud of him.”
This was the third World University Games Aspinall has qualified for. He swam at the 2009 Games held in Serbia, but missed the 2011 Games in China due to sinus surgery.
According to swimming.ca, Swimming Canada sent a team of 36 swimmers — 19 men and 19 women — to this year’s World University Games, which featured in total some 1,200 swimmers from over 50 countries.
Worth noting is that Aspinall and his UBC teammate Savannah King, also 23, were named the Male and Female Canadian Interuniversity Sport Swimmer of the Year at the recent CIS championships in Calgary.
Aspinall set championship records in the 50 and 100m backstroke events as the Thunderbird men finished second in the country behind the Toronto Varsity Blues this year. King, a two-time Olympian, won gold in the 400 and 800 meter freestyle events and led the Thunderbird women’s team to their second straight national title.
“I’m at the pool right now, it’s the final session tonight so I’m just being a cheerleader,” an upbeat Aspinall said when The NEWS caught up with him last week by phone at the Kazan Swim Palace. The Swim Palace seats upwards of 5,000 rabid fans and was sold out.
“It’s crazy. It’s really loud, and especially when there’s a Russian in the heat,” said Aspinall, and confirmed breaking the Canadian record
“It was great. I’m really happy — it’s my first Canadian record and it ranks me top 20 in the world right now. It was really exciting.”
Worth noting is that the old Canadian record was set using a full-body polyurethane swimsuit, which were banned from the sport in 2009.
“So to be able to break that record using (a regular) suit is really cool.”
In the 50 Fly Aspinall advanced through the heats and the semi finals.
“It was really exciting because I knew it’d take kind of a perfect swim to get on the podium…I came close but not quite.”
“I’ve never swam in front of a crowd like that — that much energy in the building,” he said, explaining “you’re underground in the walkway with like eight other guys that are all 6’4” to 6’8”, 200-plus pounds; you’re getting ready to walk out (on deck) and there’s like 5,000 people stomping their feet above you…it’s pretty exciting.”
The 50 Fly event featured with some 70 swimmers from all over the world.
On Tuesday night he was back at it in the 50 Free and found himself tied with a swimmer from South Africa after the semifinals and was part of the rare swim-off to see who would advance to the final.
“It’s pretty exciting because it’s a one on one race, head to head, to see who goes to the final. I lost, but it was something, walking out there for the swim-off in front of all those people.”
“It was long,” he said when asked about the trip to Russia. “We had a week long staging camp in the Netherlands which broke it up but yeah, I mean tomorrow we’re heading home and flying for like 24 hours.
“I’m really excited about coming home and doing some fishing,” he said. Aspinall returned home last Friday then headed up to Bamfield Saturday morning where he’ll be working as a guide for the summer “and get to do what I love.”
Aspinall will be going back to UBC at some point next year to take care of the final two courses he needs for his degree and will continue training there.
Asked to give himself a letter grade on his season Aspinall thought for second then said “I’d say a B. It was a good job but there’s definitely room to improve leading up to the Olympics.”
