Ward, 3rd in 200 IM, Earns Pan-Am Spot

Darren Ward finished third in the 200-meter individual medley, his best event, Friday in the Esso Cup swimming championships at Calgary, Alberta.

The finish earned Ward, who holds dual-citizenship in Canada and the United States, a place on the Canadian team which will compete at the Pan-American games at Indianapolis.

A graduate of Sonora High School, Ward swam the event in 2:06.44, over a second faster than his personal best. Still, the time ranks him only 15th best in the world this year. World record-holder Alex Baumann of Sudbury, Ontario, won the event in 2:02.94. Toronto’s Gary Anderson was second at 2:05.41.

Ward’s personal best in the 200 individual medley is 2:05.45, swum last year at the U.S. World Trials in Florida.

Ward, 18, will swim again today when he competes in the 100-meter butterfly.