A decision made in high school led Blake Tierney to a successful swimming career and now, to his first Olympic Games.
Tierney was a dedicated dual-sport athlete, splitting time between hockey practice and training with the Saskatoon Goldfins. Although he was committed to both sports, Tierney was forced to decide between the two due to a scheduling conflict one weekend.
“I had to choose between a swim competition and a hockey tournament. I chose the swim competition and that was kind of the turning point,” said Tierney.
In the moment, the choice didn’t seem substantial, but it was the initial decision that led Tierney to begin his journey toward achieving his Olympic dream.
Following high school, Tierney moved West and joined the University of British Columbia’s swim team and spent two years developing his skills before transitioning to train at the province’s High Performance Centre, under the guidance of Scott Talbot.
As Tierney progressed through training facilities, his skills continued to mature and he was given more opportunities to explore competitive swimming on an international scale.
“Saskatoon allowed me to get to that provincial and national level for the first time. When I came to B.C., I got to a higher level in national [competitions] – not quite international – but then training at the High Performance Centre really took me to compete internationally.”
Since first joining the High Performance Centre, Tierney has achieved several milestones in swimming, including being Saskatchewan’s most decorated athlete at the 2023 Santiago Pan American Games, bringing home five medals – four bronze and a silver.
His abilities improved as he attended more international competitions, eventually leading him to the Olympic qualifier, the Canadian Swimming Trials, May 13-19 in Toronto.
There, the countless hours Tierney dedicated to training were put to the test and they paid off. He swam a Canadian record-setting time of 1:56.74 in the men’s 200-metre backstroke and was named to Team Canada for his first Olympic Games.
In an overwhelming moment , Tierney achieved his dreams.
“I’ve always had that dream of one day making it [to the Olympics] but it sometimes never felt possible. After I finished the race, it didn’t hit me right away. I had a lot of happy emotions and was filled with gratitude and was thankful that I was given that opportunity. I was so happy,” gleamed Tierney.
“[Qualifying] is slowly starting to settle in, but I think it will really hit me when I get to Paris for staging camp and receive the gear.”
Following one of the most memorable swims of his life, Tierney returned to the University of British Columbia to begin training for the Olympics.
“My training will probably be more refined leading to the Games. Going into the Olympic Trials, we were training nine days a week [with other gym circuits] and the practice schedule will likely remain the same.”
With the Olympics set to begin on July 26, Tierney will travel to Paris as the sole representative of Saskatchewan on the Canadian men’s swim team, an honour in and of itself. Along with his strict training schedule leading into the Games, Tierney will have time to adjust to his new title.
“Just calling myself an Olympian is something that is so surreal and I’m very grateful to be able to call myself that.”
Photo Credit: Ian MacNicol/Swimming Canada