Swimming phenom from northern Alberta is 'rewriting the record books'

Swimming phenom from northern Alberta is 'rewriting the record books'

18-year-old Oliver Dawson holds two national records and has set his sights on the Olympics

Oliver Dawson was grinning from ear to ear on Canada Day as he waved at crowds from his perch atop a Buick convertible that led a parade down one of Grande Prairie's main drags.

With two national swimming records and his sights set on an Olympic career, the 18-year-old from northwestern Alberta has a lot of reasons to smile.

“He's not simply winning races, he's rewriting record books right now,” said Swim Alberta executive director Shawn Holman. “But the big thing is he's still improving at a pretty good rate here. So his trajectory is phenomenal.”

In May, Dawson set two new Canadian records in the men’s breaststroke category at an international competition in London. He finished the 50-metre sprint in 27.29 seconds and 100-metre event in 59.33, eclipsing Canadian records set in 2009 and 2012 respectively.

“I still don't think it's hit me,” Dawson told CBC News in an interview one day before he took on the role of parade marshal for the city’s Canada Day festivities.

Dawson fell 0.09 seconds short of beating the Canadian men’s 200-metre breaststroke record at that competition, but said he expects there will be plenty of opportunities to try again.

That record sits at 2:08.84 and was set by Mike Brown at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

“For me to take the 50 [and] 100 shows that, hopefully, I can get the 200,” Dawson said.

He will be competing at the 2026 Bell Canadian Swimming Trials in Montreal from July 5-9 and will represent Canada at the Commonwealth Games, which get underway in Scotland on July 23.

Dawson currently has a bronze medal at the world swimming championships in Singapore and has competed in Australia, Hungary and the United States.

Holman said Dawson’s young age makes his achievement even more impressive and called him “a role model” within the Alberta swimming community.

“What [Dawson] showcases is that you can become a competitive swimmer and a successful competitive swimmer from anywhere. You don't need to be in a big city,” Holman said, adding that having a facility, enough pool time and a strong coach are the most important aspects.

His coach, coincidentally, is his father Alex Dawson.

The family moved from England to Grande Prairie, about 450 kilometres northwest of Edmonton, when Oliver was seven so that Alex Dawson could take the job as coach and director of the Grande Prairie Piranhas.

His decision to move was influenced by the quality of the Eastlink Aquatic Centre, built in 2013, and the improving calibre of Canadian swimmers at the time.

“It's a 50-metre, world-class facility. So to get that opportunity to coach an up-and-coming program was pretty exciting,” Alex Dawson said.

There were approximately 100 Grande Prairie Pirhana club members when Alex Dawson took over. Today, he said, there are 600 to 700 members between the various programs.

Although Oliver Dawson was encouraged to try other sports like skiing, mountain biking or gymnastics, he always took to swimming.

At first, he said, it was about spending time with friends and getting fit. But as he got stronger in the pool, new opportunities came his way.

“Things like going to different countries, representing your country, stuff like that – that’s what made the sport so special, being able to experience things that other people might not get to experience,” he said.

Oliver Dawson said although his father’s coaching and access to superb facilities has been crucial to his success so far, he’s looking forward to September when he’ll become a student-athlete starting his scholarship at Indiana University.

“I'm going to train under Ray Looze, one of the best breaststroke coaches ever at one of the best breaststroke unis in the world, and I'm hoping to stay there for about six years,” Oliver said.

If all goes as planned, he said he hopes to represent Canada at the 2028 and 2032 Olympics.

His dad will also be leaving Grande Prairie in the fall. Alex Dawson will start as a performance coach at the Killarney Swim Club in Calgary for the 2026-27 season.

He is confident that swimmers will continue to find success in Grande Prairie without the Dawsons involved, due to the other instructors, facilities and culture now in place.

A Family Affair: Canadian breaststroke record-holder Oliver Dawson & father/coach Alex Dawson

As for his son, Alex Dawson said whether or not Oliver accomplishes his goals will be entirely up to him – though being under Looze’s tutelage is a step in the right direction.

“There's no ceiling to what he could do if he wants to continue on that path,” he said.

Eagle Andersen is a reporter for CBC News in Grande Prairie. He previously worked as an associate producer for CBC News in Kamloops, B.C. You can reach him at eagle.andersen@cbc.ca.