LONDON — Alec Elliot set a personal best in the SM10 200-metre individual medley on Tuesday night at the London Aquatics Centre during the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships.
The 23-year-old finished the race with a time of 2:12.90 and topped his previous best time by a considerable 1.71 seconds en route to a fourth-place finish.
Elliot was narrowly edged out of a place on the podium by Bas Takken, of the Netherlands, by 0.83 seconds. Despite missing a medal, he felt that his training and dedication can propel himself to new heights.
“It was an absolutely fantastic race,” said Elliot, in the mixed zone, moments after the race. “I won a huge [personal] best time there, so I really can’t complain at all.”
The Canadian swimmer harnessed the atmosphere of the event and its crowd to achieve his goal of improving the second half of his race, something he’s worked on since making his national team debut in 2014.
“I definitely think it’s something I should train more going into next year and maybe look for a podium finish in Tokyo,” Elliot said, of the 200-metre individual medley.
The native of Kitchener, Ont., moves on to the 400-metre freestyle, on Wednesday morning. Elliot will attempt to advance to that night’s final.