(Supplied)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

swimming fast

Red Deer swimmer hauls in 7 medals at Western Canada Games

Aug 15, 2019 | 3:20 PM

Elle Couture, a 14-year-old swimmer from Red Deer, just wrapped up a tremendous few days in the pool at the 2019 Western Canada Summer Games in Swift Current, SK.

The St. Joseph High School student returns home with seven medals, including four golds, one silver and two bronze.

Couture came out on top in the 50 metre and 100 metre breaststroke, and helped her teammates to wins in the 4×200 metre freestyle and 4×100 metre medley relays.

“Just knowing that you’re one of so many athletes representing that many people in the province is really cool,” says Couture of donning the Team Alberta logo.

“Probably my best experience of these games was being with the team. There were 33 swimmers representing Alberta. We won 103 medals, a record-breaker, and the province of Alberta won swimming for the first time since 2005.”

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A member of the Sylvan Lake Nauticals swim club, Couture will enjoy a three-week offseason before diving back into competition.

In March, she will be in Toronto for Canadian trials. She currently has a fast enough time to trial in the 100 metre breaststroke, and is close in the 200 metre.

While chances are slim she’ll make the national senior team at this juncture, there’s also the junior squad and the next Canada Games that she has her eyes on.

Couture has previously competed at the Western Canadian Championships, the Alberta Summer Games, and the Alberta Championships.

At Nationals in July, Couture placed 6th in the 100 metre breaststroke and 5th in the 200 metre breaststroke for her age group.

Another pair of local swimmers were also competing for Team Alberta – Sylvan Lake’s Isaac Bahler and Red Deer’s Murray Duncan.

Duncan swam to two individual silver and a bronze. Both are members of the Red Deer Catalina Swim Club.

In other events at the Games, Red Deer’s Colby Nemeth earned bronze in beach volleyball along with teammate Carson Brennan.

Marissa Richards of Red Deer was part of Alberta’s gold medal winning female basketball team.

Brandt Seland of Sylvan Lake helped Alberta win gold in softball.

Goalkeeper Toni Goll helped Alberta win gold in female soccer.