Canadian swimmer sees mentoring role after winning Special Olympics gold

Now that his team has won gold for Canada in the pool at the 2023 Special Olympics World Games, Tyler Servant of Swift Current, Sask., says he would like to someday help younger athletes as a coach.

Tyler was first off the blocks for the Canadians in the men's 4x50m medley relay in Berlin on Friday, doing backstroke.

He and teammates Caleb Lake, Jesse Canney and Christopher Innes were trailing in mostly second and third place for most of the race, but the squad pulled ahead in time for an exciting win over Denmark in second place and Germany in third.

"We knew it was going to be a very close race, and it definitely lived up to that hype," coach Jackie Powell told CBC News in an interview Sunday, on the final day of the Games.

"It came down to the last few strokes and everybody doing their part, and it was just amazing. The stands were just erupting."

Because he was first off the mark, Servant said he knew he had to set the pace, and then, "It was good to see the race," because he could cheer on his teammates.

"It felt pretty exciting, and I was quite happy with everybody. Everybody did a good job swimming, but for all four of us, it was just another day in the office."

Goal to help others

Servant has been involved with the Special Olympics for a decade and has also competed in bowling and baseball. He was asked about his future in competitive swimming.

"I'm going to still keep coming [back to] swimming, but my goal is to become a coach ... for the younger athletes, helping them out and making them feel like they're at home.

"It doesn't matter if it's a swimming pool, bowling alley or anywhere, just making younger athletes come out and enjoy what I'm enjoying."