After his choice in absence As a member of CAMO Natation’s new board of directors, Savard is focused on the task at hand in Japan, where she will compete in her sixth World Distance Running Championships from July 23-30.

“The mission remains the same for me,” Savard assured during a virtual conference organized by Swimming Canada at Toyota, where the team has been for a few days for a final training session.

“The goals were set with my country and my coach a few months ago. They are the same and will not change: perform well. For my part, I would like to reach the final in the 100 meter butterfly. »

Nevertheless, the crisis that shook his club in Montreal caused “a small shock wave”, admitted Savard. She decided to get involved by submitting her candidacy as the new administrator at an Extraordinary General Meeting Thursday night under the supervision of the Quebec Swimming Federation (FNQ).

The 30-year-old swimmer was unanimously elected by the 76 members and will be part of a completely renewed 13-person board.

“We had very good support, the federations were behind us, both Swimming Canada and the FNQ. The city was also behind us. Several scenarios were possible and everything was explained to us. Our coach has been very good with us to focus on our goal next week. »

Greg Arkhurst, CAMO’s head coach since 2021, was suspended for two weeks a few months ago following a report by the Quebec Complaints Officer, the nature of which is unknown. In hindsight, Arkhurst learned, apparently independently, that his contract would not be renewed at the end of the season.

A showdown followed with members of a board already weakened by the departure of several administrators. Last week, amid threats of a concerted resignation from three other coaches supporting Arkhurst, the remaining directors resigned en bloc, Radio-Canada announced a few days ago.

It was in this context that Savard decided to get involved. His teammate Mary-Sophie Harvey, the other CAMO athlete who is accompanying him to Fukuoka, has applied. Three other current swimmers and some former swimmers were chosen.

“When we discussed with the others, we realized that there weren’t necessarily older swimmers on the board,” explained Savard. So we thought it would be interesting to see someone with a different look. Various people have offered me to apply. So I thought about everything and asked various questions. I think it was a good idea. With my experience and the different environments in which I have developed, I hope to do good and be able to make a difference for the good of all. It’s not fair [par rapport à] But I think that we can make a contribution in the long term. »

Savard expressed his confidence in Arkhurst, who succeeded Claude St-Jean after the Tokyo Olympics were postponed to 2021. He is a member of the Canadian team in Japan.

“Having never been on the council, I don’t really know what happened. From now on I’ll see what’s going on and what we implement. […] It’s hard to understand everything that happened. I hope for further explanations and for the opportunity to form my own opinion. Greg has always been a good coach for me. I’ve never seen any problems with either the coaches or the poolside swimmers at CAMO. »

On a sporting level, Savard is looking to close the gap that separates her from a first singles final since Kazan in 2015, where she finished fifth. Last summer in Budapest she missed it by eight hundredths.

The Pont-Rouge native takes inspiration from teammate Maggie MacNeil, the reigning Olympic champion, who is returning to the World Championships individually after prioritizing her mental health in 2022.

“There is a strategy of breathing a little more. We compared it to Maggie’s race. There is a big difference in the number of breaths between her and me. I learned from her and try to do it my way to make it work for me. »