July 20, 1996
Malar has no time to be nervous
By KEN FIDLIN
Toronto Sun
ATLANTA -- For months, she has been the focus of Canada's Olympic swimming hopes. If that wasn't enough for Joanne Malar, today she must set the tone.
Malar won't be the only Canadian in the pool at Georgia Tech, but she'll be the one all eyes are upon, perhaps to become the first Canadian medal winner at the 26th Olympiad.
"I'm glad to be in the water on Day 1," said Malar, who will compete in the 400-metre individual medley this afternoon and, hopefully, evening. "The waiting is the hardest part, so it's good to have an early race to focus on.
"Everyone wants a medal and a medal is hard to achieve, but I'll try my best. If I go out and do my best time, I'll be in the top eight, or even on the podium. People at home have a different attitude now. When I see them it's like, `We're so proud of you and everything you've already done.' "
Perhaps, but Canada's Olympic swim legacy is broad and deep and filled with expectations. From Mexico to Barcelona, a span of seven Olympiads, our swimmers always could be counted on to pad Canada's medal haul. From Elaine Tanner to Mark Tewksbury, many of Canada's Olympic thrills were confined to the pool.
But you need only take a look at the 1995 world rankings or check out the medal distribution at the last world championships to understand the sport has changed.
No fewer than eight countries were represented in the world rankings and the medals at the championships last year were spread between 20 countries. This in a sport that once was dominated by a handful of nations, most notably the U.S. and East Germany.
"That is the new reality," said Canadian coach Dave Johnson. "Swimming now is a world sport and not just a sport where half a dozen countries are players, like it was in 1976."
Which is to say, don't hold your breath waiting to hear O Canada at the pool this day or any day. But if Malar does well, it could spur others to overachieve as well.
"I understand that," said Malar, "and there is no question my goal is to achieve a personal best here. If I do a personal best, I will be in the final and in contention.
"But I feel no pressure from anyone, especially my teammates, to lead them."
Truth is, the pressure to win Canada's first medal could be off by the time Malar swims tonight.
Fencer Jean-Marc Chouinard, a Montreal urban planner, is one of the top-ranked competitors in the world at epee and his event is one of the first out of the chute this morning. Imagine that. Canada led by a sword-fighter.
If Chouinard were to win a medal, it wouldn't be the first time a relative unknown with a weapon in hand has sent the Canadian media scrambling for their biographical material.
In 1984, for example, after a day of futility in the pool, unheralded shooter Linda Thom shot the lights out with her pistol and grabbed gold while everyone was looking elsewhere.
But Malar is the popular choice, with the accent on popular. She may be the reigning queen of Canadian swimming but she tries hard to blend in with her teammates.
"It would be a big boost for all of us if she were to get a medal on the first day," said Guylaine Cloutier, who will be in the 100-metre breast stroke tomorrow. "Nobody deserves a medal more than Joanne."
Malar's family is staying in a trailer at Stone Mountain, a 40-minute shuttle ride from the pool. If Joanne feels pressure to succeed today, it will be to reward parents Gordon and Marion for a lifetime of providing.
"All they want is for me to do my best," Malar said. "There is no pressure from them. They're proud of me if I finish last. But if I win or even get a medal, a lot of it will belong to them. They've given up a lot."
This past week, Malar has spent a lot of time trying to keep her emotions in check. She was an Olympian in '92 at Barcelona, but at 16 and a relative unknown, she escaped the limelight.
Now, at 20, she is as prepared as she'll ever be.
"The first day we got here and I walked out on the deck of the pool, it hit me," she said. "I've been excited ever since. It has been my dream. Now it's up to me to make it come true."
