Veteran Canadian swimmers Sydney Pickrem and Mabel Zavaros have pulled out of the upcoming World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. Pickrem is shown in this Dec. 16, 2022 file photo starting her heat at the women's 200m breaststroke during the world swimming short course championships in Melbourne, Australia. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Asanka Brendon Ratnayake
Veteran Canadian swimmers Sydney Pickrem and Mabel Zavaros have pulled out of the upcoming World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.
Swimming Canada says Zavaros, 23, will miss the event due to injuries in both shoulders, while Pickrem, 26, is unable to attend due to “personal circumstances.”
Pickrem won a bronze medal with Canada’s 4×100-metre medley relay team at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and is a four-time medallist at the world championships.
Zavaros, who made her national team debut in 2018, was a double finalist at last year’s Commonwealth Games.
Both swimmers are members of Team Canada for the Pan American Games set for October in Santiago, Chile.
The world championships begin Friday and run through July 20.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 11, 2023.