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18 Sports Oakville Beaver SPORTS EDITOR:JONKUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2012 Van Beilen edged in rare swim-off It's hard enough to finish ninth when only eight advance, but to lose that final spot in one of the rarest events in big-time swimming -- a playoff -- is doubly disappointing. OAKVILLE'SOLYMPIANS Oakville's Tera Van Beilen was beaten by Jamaica's Alia Atkinson in a two-woman swim-off in the 100 metre breaststroke after Sunday night's Olympic official swimming program had ended. They had tied for the eighth spot in the semifinals, touching the wall at the same time, in the same semifinal heat. "It was mentally hard coming off a race knowing you had to do it again," said the 19-yearold Van Beilen, who trains with Canada's elite breaststroking community in Vancouver. "I tried to get my head in the right place but it was a hard turnaround. I mean, I gave it everything I have in the pool, and I Tera Van Beilen feel blessed for the opportunity. "I would have liked to swim again and I'm sorry it didn't turn out. I'm disappointed, I thought I could be a better racer, but I still have more races to look forward to. It was fun to have just two of us in the pool and I wish her luck in the final." Had Van Beilen been able to advance, it would have been one of those subtle breakthroughs the Canadian team has been looking for. She's stronger at the 200 and was a dark horse to reach the 100 finals. -- Steve Milton, Metroland Media Group RENE JOHNSTON / TORONTO STAR REASON TO SMILE: Madhu Nagaraja (bottom right) breaks into a smile Sunday night after successfully swimming across Lake Ontario. The 42-year-old was greeted at Coronation Park by his wife Suman Joseph (rear left, holding their three-year-old daughter Meghna) and eightyear-old son Vivek (not pictured) as well as many other well-wishers. Swim across lake a rewarding experience of the swim was much better, although the native of India didn't reach Coronation Park until 9:37 p.m. Sunday -- roughly eight BEAVER SPORTS EDITOR hours later than he initially anticipated. Nagaraja, a senior business analyst in technology services for Madhu Nagaraja swam for more than 24 consecutive hours, braving strong winds and currents during his 41-kilometre an insurance company, said the experience of working with his journey, to become just the 50th person to successfully swim crew was even more rewarding than the feel of the Coronation Park shore on his feet. across Lake Ontario. "It's an incredible feeling to learn about And he says that wasn't even the most diffi"The first 45 minutes of people's skills. The good human nature of peocult part. ple is such a nice thing. I think that's what it is "I think the training was much harder than the swim were fantastic, all about," he said. the swim," said the 42-year-old Oakville resi- like swimming on glass. "It's not about getting from Point A to Point dent. "When I put all these people, the crew, Then the washing B. The Point A to Point B is a bonus, but being together, it wasn't hard. We all pulled together, machine started." part of this whole new human dimension that's how I look at it." where they're not scared to break barriers to That doesn't mean Nagaraja's feat was easy to Madhu Nagaraja, reflecting help others and they're not scared to push limachieve. its, it's mind-blowing. I wish we could all have "The first 45 minutes of the swim were fan- on his swim across Lake that kind of feeling as often as possible." tastic, like swimming on glass," said Nagaraja, Ontario last weekend Crossing Lake Ontario is just the latest who departed Port Dalhousie Saturday at 9:08 swimming accomplishment for Nagaraja. He's also crossed the p.m. English Channel and swam the length of the Golden Gate "Then the washing machine started." In fact, after swimming futilely for about a five-hour span in Bridge of San Francisco, where he trained by routinely swimthe middle of the night, Nagaraja admits he was very close to ming from the island of Alcatraz to the mainland. Nagaraja said it is impossible to compare the different expecalling the swim off. "At that point, I'd only crossed 13 kilometres," said the riences. "They are all monsters with their own characters," he said. Oakville resident, who estimated at that point that the lake The biggest challenge of Lake Ontario, according to Nagaraja, crossing might take him as many as three days. But, helped by a supportive crew of a coach, navigator, doc- is the unpredictability factor. See Ignorance, page 20 tor and three pacers, Nagaraja persisted until sunrise. The rest By Jon Kuiperij Csima, men's eights in rowing final After losing it Saturday, Canada got its head together -- or rather its nine heads together -- and has powered its way into the Olympic heavyweight eights rowing final. The Canadians, including Oakville's Doug Csima, wiped away any after-effects of a dismal last-place showing in their Saturday heat to finish a strong second to the host nation at the picturesque Eton College rowing centre. They were scheduled to row for a medal this morning (Wednesday). Germany hasn't been beatDoug Csima en since the Beijing Games and is the heavy favourite to take the gold. A little too much focus on Germany may have got Canada out of the proper mindset in the heat, some of the Canadians said. See Women's, page 19