At 14 years of age, Jacob Van Horne is starting to make a name for himself in competitive swimming.
And that’s from a three-medal performance in the pool competing as part of the Northwest Zone 7 contingent at the B.C. Summer Games held July 21 - July 24 in Prince George.
Two of the medals were gold — one in the 50 metre breaststroke and the other in the 100 metre breaststroke — while capturing a bronze as one of four members of Zone 7’s 200 metre mixed medley team.
An added note came from Van Horne’s time of 1:09:91 in the 100 metres as it set a Western Canadian time standard, the description of the goal set for swimmers.
“There are divisional time standards, provincial time standards, western time standards and national time standards — it allows a swimmer to compete at a higher level of swimming,” explained his mother, Heather Van Horne.
Standings always change because of swim meets every weekend but Van Horne’s time as of the summer games period not only set a Western Canadian standard but it was the the fifth fastest 100m breaststroke for 14-year-old boys in Canada, she added.
Van Horne also placed fourth in the boys 100 metre freestyle.
A swimmer since he was three and a member of the Kitimat Marlins swim club since he was seven, Van Horne’s favourite stroke is the breaststroke.
With the games now complete, Van Horne will train on his own this month and into September at the Terrace pool because the one in Kitimat is closing for maintenance.
The Marlins officially begin training again in October, setting a pace of being in the water five or six times a week in addition to dryland training in preparation for a renewed season of swim meets.
Van Horne’s two gold medals were part of the 11 earned by Zone 7 in the games and the team bronze medal was one of two team medals won by athletes from the northwest. The zone finished with 30 medals overall, seventh out of eight zones.
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