Top Age Group Ranking Profile

We are proud to spotlight a group of 14 & Under swimmers who are making their mark within the TAG (Top Age Group) Rankings across Canada. Recognized through the leadership and support of the Canadian Swim Coaches Association (CSCA), these athletes represent the next wave of Canadian swimming excellence.

As we launch this series, we celebrate the coaches, clubs, and families who support these swimmers — and we look forward to following their journey as they continue to rise within Canada’s performance pathway.

Amazed. Inspired. Motivated.

Just a few of the many words required to be added to the vocabulary - especially when the topic of discussion focusses around a recently turned 13-year-old swimmer.

Try mentioning her name and don’t be astounded if many people, including coaches, swimmers and officials, pop the question - who is she?

It’s an answer many in the world of swimming, in Canada and beyond, will find out – especially when her incredible race times start emerging. Some of those remarkable race performances are already showing eye-catching numbers.

Make a note of her name. It’s Alice Boldyrev.

Now, take a few minutes and do a bit of research. What becomes abundantly clear is that people are witnessing the early stages of what may very well be one of the top female swim prospects in Canada.

Chatter has started about this skilled 5-foot-6 talent aiming for those major swim meets like the Commonwealth Games, World championships or Olympic Games. No need for reminders about the many cases in past, where miracles occur when robust swimmers rise to the top because of a combination of talent, physical and mental commitment bolstered by superb coaching.

For Boldyrev, pick the stroke. Let’s start with the freestyle - and the numbers are significantly excitable. If you’re not convinced, glance through the latest rankings and race times from the Top Age Group category of the Canadian Swimming Coaches Association.

As a 12-year-old, Boldyrev was top-ranked in the 50, 100 and 200-metres freestyle. Switch to the 50, 100 and 200-metres backstroke, and she tops the charts again. Just in case you might still have doubts about this proficient and gifted young athlete, then glance through her other events and times.

In the butterfly, first in the 50-metres race. But there is a gap with work still needed in the 100-metres where she’s currently listed as third best in the country.

Credit her parents for getting Boldyrev very active in the sport as a toddler. Her older sister was also a swimmer and strong role model. Those early months in the moms and tots program at a pool in Woodbridge paved the way to swim club memberships in Etobicoke and Scarborough.

Now, she’s in the Ontario Swim Academy (OSA). A huge bonus and benefitting from opportunities through world-class events, elite training, support for high performance swimmers and specialized coaching at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (TPASC).

“She’s an exceptionally strong swimmer, determined, and on the right course to make big things happen,” said Don Burton, head coach at the OSA. “(Alice) is a gifted athlete, talented and focussed on doing what has to be done for the Olympic Trials and standards two years away.”

Boldyrev, driven by confidence and masterful performances in water, has a great memory for events and races. Her big adventure occurred in December of 2025 and the achievements at the Murray Drudge Invitational were nothing short of spectacular.

“That was a big day for me – one I will remember for a long time,” said Boldyrev, who hasn’t decided on the high school to continue her education but is serious about a post-secondary route and a sports scholarship in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

At the Drudge event, Boldyrev earned gold medals with a variety of personal best performances – including dominant and exceptional times in freestyle races. In the 100-metre, she was clocked in 58.61 seconds and the 200-metres saw her recorded in two minutes, 07.26.

“I’m working on improving times and benefitting from good coaching,” said Boldyrev, who had a personal best time in the 50-metres at the NYAC Cup last November. “The goal is making the major swim events in Canada and, if I am fortunate, going on from there. Lots of hard work still to come.”

Looking to the future, we’ll step aside from swimming just a bit. Boldyrev was asked about a career choice. Her interest is in the world of physics and something called aerodynamics – “the study of the properties of moving air and the interaction between the air and solid bodies moving through it”.

Got it?

There’s also her fascination with Formula 1 – the cars, drivers and the teams. It’s the highest class of international, open-wheel, single-seater motorsports and known as the pinnacle of racing. Some refer to it as the world's most prestigious motor racing competition.

“(Formula 1 racing) inspires me to do aerodynamics and I would love to work in a motorsport department like that,” she added.

Put all of that together and, somehow, it ties in with quicker and impressive performances in swimming.

As for training, Boldyrev is in the water quite a bit. Try nine times a week and two hours each time. It adds up and can sometime feel as if the commitment is longer.

“I’ve had some mental setbacks as it relates to performance, but talking with people along with guidance from my coach and help from teammates has been great,” said Boldyrev.

“Losing a race can be upsetting at that moment, but I just let it go and learn how I can do better next time. In some races, the times are not what I had expected. That just proves more work is needed and I won’t always be perfect.”

David Grossman is a veteran multi award-winning Journalist and Broadcaster with some of Canada’s major media, including the Toronto Star and SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN, and a Public Relations professional for 50+ years in Canadian sports and Government relations.