Regan Rathwell

Biography

After two years of battling injuries, Regan Rathwell qualified for Paris 2024 when she finished second in the women’s 200m backstroke at the Olympic Swimming Trials, setting a personal best time of 2:09.38 that was a second under the Olympic Qualifying Time.

Rathwell broke her right foot just a month before the 2022 Canadian Swimming Trials when she dropped a 10-pound plate on it during a weight training session. She competed anyways but was unable to earn a spot on the world championship team. She then had her freshman season at the University of Tennessee cut well short after undergoing labrum reconstruction surgery in October 2022. That kept her out of the 2023 Canadian Swimming Trials.  

After returning to collegiate competition in November 2023, Rathwell made it to the 2024 NCAA Championships in the 100-yard backstroke.

Rathwell represented Canada at the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Championships where she was a finalist in the 200m backstroke. She won bronze in the 400m IM at the 2017 Canada Summer Games when she was just 13, the youngest member of Team Ontario’s swimming team.