GLASGOW, Scotland — Ryan Cochrane and Kirsten Sweetland, who grew up as neighbours and friends in Cordova Bay, delivered a 1-2 Island punch Thursday on the opening day of competition at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Two-time Olympic medallist Cochrane charged furiously from behind, making up more than two seconds, to edge David McKeon of Australia in the men’s 400-metre freestyle swimming final to successfully defend his title from Delhi 2010 with a personal best 3:43.46. That won Canada its first gold of the Games.
Canada’s first medal, a silver, came earlier in the day when Sweetland continued her stirring comeback season by finishing a strong second in the women’s triathlon. “I know for my parents, it was exciting to have a person they saw grow up [Sweetland] win a medal,” said Cochrane.
And the day only got better.
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“Experience really helps, especially at my age,” Cochrane, 25, said of his podium-topping performance.
McKeon, who finished in 3:44.09, “was pretty far ahead at 300 metres. I knew I had to keep control. There were a lot of great guys in this race. … I worked on my strengths and that carried me through the race. This will help me build up for the next two years,” Cochrane said, referring to his plan to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
“It was loud,” he said, of the atmosphere at the pool. “There was really an excitement factor tonight … 5,000 people felt like 20,000. And hearing the national anthem is what you dream about.”
Cochrane races today in the 200-metre freestyle and then, later in the Games, in the 1,500 metres, in which he has won two Olympic medals and gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
Meanwhile, triathlete Sweetland continues to fashion a great Island comeback story akin to rower Silken Laumann’s return from serious injury to win a medal at the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics.
In Sweetland’s silver medal performance at Strathclyde Country Park, she was sandwiched between English competitors, winner Jodie Stimpson and bronze-medallist Vicky Holland. Sweetland completed the 1.5K swim, 40K bike race and 10K run in one hour 59 minutes one second, with Stimpson across in 1:58:56 and Holland in 1:59:11.
“I was always gunning for a medal,” Sweetland said.
“Obviously, I wanted gold. But I am happy for anything. During the race, I felt OK. I didn’t really feel bad, but I didn’t feel great, either. On the run, I tried to stick on Jodie [Stimpson’s] shoulder, which paid off.”
The Islander’s remarkable turnaround year comes after losing the better part of three years to painful career-threatening injuries.
Although she won the 2006 world junior championship, her future suddenly seemed in doubt. Now Rio 2016 beckons.
“It’s so exciting to see people you know, who have been through adversity, come through like this,” said Cochrane, who attended Claremont Secondary while Sweetland attended Stelly’s Secondary. “[Sweetland] is an inspiration.”
Her Commonwealth Games achievement comes after a 2014 campaign that included winning her first medal in a World Series race — a bronze in Hamburg, Germany, this month — following seventh-place finishes in the Chicago and Cape Town World Series races.
Victoria-based Ellen Pennock of Calgary, a University of Victoria sciences major who was second last year in the U-23 women’s world triathlon championship, spilled hard to the pavement in the biking portion of the Commonwealth Games race and has a broken collarbone.
The Commonwealth Games women’s race had seven of the top-12 racers in the world competing.
The men’s triathlon, which included Matt Sharpe of Victoria, featured the 2012 London Olympics gold- and bronze-medallist brothers Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee of England.
The Brownlees finished 1-2 with Alistair winning in 1:48:50, Jonathan taking silver in 1:49:01 and Richard Murrray of South Africa nabbing bronze in 1:50:21.
Claremont-grad Sharpe is the 2012 Canadian U-23 champion and 2010 Canadian junior champion.
Canada used a team approach against the Brownlees. Sharpe, a 22-year-old from Campbell River, is a fast starter in the opening swim and cycle segments and helped to pace Canadian teammates Kyle Jones of Oakville, Ont., and Andrew Yorke of Caledon, Ont.
The team used a rabbit technique, used extensively in track and field and cycling, and considered controversial when Canada used it to tremendous advantage at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where Colin Jenkins helped pull Simon Whitfield of Victoria to the silver medal.
It almost worked again, as Yorke placed fourth in 1:50:40. Jones, a former Victoria resident, was 11th in 1:52:15. Sharpe, who finished 21st in 1:56:56, did his job on the front end.
