U of G Swimmer Makes Semi-final at Olympics
August 02, 2012 - Campus Bulletin
In his first-ever appearance at the Olympics, a Guelph swimmer and University of Guelph student competed in semi-finals Wednesday against American aquatic stars Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte.
Andrew Ford, a 23-year-old who trains at the U of G pool, won his preliminary heat in the 200-metre individual medley in London Wednesday with a personal best time of 2:00.28.
He swam in the semi-final against Phelps and Lochte, whose rivalry at this year’s Olympics has attracted plenty of media attention. His time of 2:01.58 was not enough to make the cutoff to advance to the finals.
At swimming trials in Montreal this past spring, Ford won gold in the 200-metre IM (2:01.18) and earned a spot on Canada’s Olympic team.
He swam for U of G’s varsity swim team in 2010-11. He has trained full-time this year and hopes to return to psychology studies in the fall.
As a Gryphon, Ford won gold medals in 100m backstroke and 200m IM and silver in 200m backstroke at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships — the first CIS gold medals in swimming for the Gryphons since 2001. He was named an Ontario University Athletics all-star and All-Canadian.
Ford has been coached for the past decade by Gryphon head coach Don Burton. His mother is Brenda Ford, assistant executive director, financial services, at the Ontario Veterinary College’s Health Sciences Centre.
