Olympics debut more than just about soaking in the experience for 18-year-old in 4×200-metre freestyle
Lorne Wigginton isn’t expecting to make a big splash in Paris.
Rather, it’s about taking in and savouring the experience of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Sounds just about right for the first-time Olympian and young Calgarian.
“Yeah … I think the big thing is soaking it in,” said 18-year-old Wigginton, who gets set to swim for Canada in the men’s 4×200-metre freestyle — his only event of the Paris Games — with Tuesday’s heats (5:08 a.m. MT) and final (2:01 p.m. MT).
“I’m super pumped — going to the Olympics is kind of like every kid’s dreams when they started swimming,” continued Wigginton. “This is kind of the pinnacle of the sport, and so to be here at a pretty young age is super exciting for me. I’m really just excited to like get some experience — see what it’s all about and just enjoy myself there.”
It’s a good attitude to take for such a young swimmer debuting at the Games.
After all, it’s not like the 4x200m crew — comprised of Wigginton, Quebec’s Patrick Hussey, Ontario’s Alex Axon and B.C.’s Jeremy Bagshaw — are considered a medal threat at the Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, France.
All are first-timers at the five-ring sporting circus with limited success on the big swimming stages.
But that doesn’t mean they can’t shock the world.
“You know … I’m really thinking we’ve got a shot to make the final,” said Wigginton, who was a member of Canada’s 10th-place crew in the 4x200m free relay at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in February in Qatar.
“I think it’ll be a fight to get into the final,” continued the Calgarian. “This is the first time we’ve had this relay at the Olympics since 2012. So even just being here on this team is kind of a big deal for Canada. And so we’re just trying to move up in the world rankings. We really have nothing to lose. No one’s expecting us to do anything big. So we’re kind of swimming with no pressure — just going out there and ripping it.
“And I think we can do it.”
It’s in the blood for Wigginton.
Both his parents were Canadian university swimmers — his dad, Kevin, with the McMaster Mauraders, and his mom, Stephanie, with the New Brunswick Reds.
His younger sister, Rachel, is also tracking well with the University of Calgary Swim Club, which was Wigginton’s home for a decade before he left last year to up his game with Swimming Canada’s High Performance Centre in Toronto.
The move away from home paid off quickly for the Calgary kid, since a year later, he’s on the Olympic squad in Paris.
“I pretty much knew that I’d qualified right after the race,” said Wigginton, recalling his joy from the Canadian trials in May in Toronto. “They were going to take the top four in the 200 free at trials to be on the relay team. And I finished third in that race.
“I was pretty nervous going into it. I was super relieved and super happy after. There’s a lot of different emotions kind of mixed into one that I didn’t know exactly how I was feeling at the time.
“But, you know, as I got farther away from that race and things kind of soaked in a little bit more, I just kept getting happier and happier. Just the feeling of knowing I’m going to the Olympics, there’s not much better than making that team in this sport.”
A medal, of course, would cap it off.
But it’s one step at a time right now for Wigginton.
That’s just enjoy what comes next in what he hopes is a long swim career on the world stage.
“I’m always gonna remember this,” said Wigginton, who’s heading next year to the University of Michigan. “Hopefully, it’ll be my first of many Olympics. But, yeah, just being here and racing and seeing what it’s like, I think it’s good prep for the future. It’s definitely not going to hurt me. I think it’s going to help me a lot when I get into high-pressure situations — at worlds and future Olympics. So I’m just super excited to be here racing against the best.
“I just love the sport — I love racing,” added Wigginton. “And I know I’m gonna go out there and do my best, because that’s what I love to do. And I think just after training so hard all year, I know kind of where I’m at and I know that I can do anything. So it’s just kind of getting up on the block, trusting my training and then just having that love for the sport and the love to race.
“Obviously, I want to be faster than I’ve been before. But if I can just have a good time and soak in the experience and just race faster than I ever have, I’m going to be really happy.”