Last year Brian Johns delivered a performance that produced words not uttered in a long time in Canadian swimming circles. "World record." At the 2003 Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships, Johns lowered the world mark in the 400 individual medley short course event. In short course, the swimmers turn every 25 metres instead of every 50 metres as in the regular Olympic-size pool.
Johns said his success in short course made him a player to watch in long course competition. "The 400 IM short course is definitely different than the 400 IM long course," he said. Expectations were high at the 2003 world championships and he produced solid performances by reaching finals in both the 400 IM and 200 IM placing seventh and eighth respectively. But in Athens he wants to take his performances to another level and step on the podium at the Games.
He credits his improvement on experience as well as a nutritional program and dry-land training. He has also worked hard at improving the breaststroke and backstroke legs of his races.
Johns, also a member of the 2000 Olympic team at age 17, started swimming at age six and trained in a 100-foot long pool in Richmond, B.C., where he grew up until a new one was built in 1997. He currently trains and studies at UBC in Vancouver.
