Top Age Group Ranking Profile

We are proud to spotlight a group of 18 and over 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.

While plans are good to have, sometimes they don’t always work.

A few years ago, Sophie Angus had it all figured out. But things changed.

It turns out, to be one of the best decisions she made.

After her debut at the pinnacle of sports events, the Olympic Summer Games in 2024, Angus had planned on retiring from what had been a remarkable competitive swim career.

An English songwriter and musician named John Lennon, of Beatles rock band fame, once said “Life is what happens when you are making other plans”.

Angus had some of those other plans. You could call it having second thoughts about disengaging from the pool.

Giving herself three months to gradually phase down from the emotional performance letdown in France, Angus focussed on what she called “some awesome trips and competition in China, South Korea and Hungary”.

At those 2024 Olympics, Angus finished 18th in the 100-metres breaststroke. There was nothing wrong with being the 18th fastest swimmer on the planet. She was also a member of the 4 x 100-metres medley relay team that just missed out on a medal after finishing fourth.

“Qualifying for the Olympics is a highlight for any athlete,” said Angus who, in the summer of 2026 won a bronze medal in the 50-metres breaststroke at the Commonwealth Games in Scotland. “I’m always focussing on my stroke and technique – just wanting to get better and improve.”

Relief eventually kicked in from the stress, tension and pressure of the ultimate event in the world of sport. However, there was also an urge to keep enjoying swimming – something she had devoted so much time towards improving her strokes, technique and times.

A pivotal level of her accomplishments has occurred since Angus bid adieu to Paris - La ville Lumière and nicknamed the City of Light. Her performance in swim meets has skyrocketed and times are now personal bests. In other words, she’s feeling and functioning with youthful energy and exuberance.

“I didn’t want to end my swimming on a sore note,” said Angus. “I knew and felt there was another better swim in me. Confidence grew and the journey in life continues.”

A new milestone has been established for the now 27-year-old. It’s qualifying for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles and she’s hoping to race in the 50, 100 and 200-metres breaststroke.

To qualify for the 50 metres event, Angus must finish in the top six at the next World Cup. The location: a return to the Saint Denis Olympic Aquatics Centre in Paris. For the 100 and 200-metres, it’s reaching the time standards at the Canadian Olympic Trials.

Her current personal best times came in 2026 races clocked in 30.28 seconds in the 50-metres breaststroke timed last July in Montreal at the Pan Pacific Trials. In the 100-metres breaststroke, it’s a time of one minute, 06.38 a few weeks later at the Pan Pacific Games in Irvine, Cal. As for the 200-metres, it’s 2:24.84 and that came in 2025 in Victoria, B.C.

“In training, there are times to achieve and while I’ve dropped my times - there’s always lots to improve,” she said. “As a youngster, I was not a star swimmer. I’ve learned that if you love sport and have the ability, go for it.”

Here’s a few facts about Angus. She was born in Connecticut and is a dual citizen. Her father took her to the pool as a toddler and the love for water was instantaneous. Competitive swimming started around her 10th birthday.

Angus chose to swim for Canada because her father, originally from Calgary, was a talented soccer player. She had initially tinkered with soccer, but swimming took over. She first represented Canada at the 2018 World swim championships where she finished in 26th place in the heats of the 100-metres breaststroke.

Thriving on the challenges of problem solving, Angus earned a bachelors’ degree in neurosciences followed by a master’s in data science.

Excellence goes beyond the pool and classroom. She was the recipient of an athletic scholarship to Northwestern University in Chicago and was chosen a multiple All-American - an honour for sports distinction given in the United States to standout amateur athletes who are considered the best in their respective sports at the collegiate level.

Angus still owns the Northwestern school record in the 100-metres breaststroke set in Atlanta at the 2022 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships.

Her medal collection from swimming competitions is large. She has every shape and colour from events such as the World championships in Japan, Qatar and Hungary, the previously mentioned Commonwealth Games, World University Games in Italy and the Pan Am Games in Chile.

When she’s not devoting some 20 hours a week to dry-land training and practice in the pool, Angus is a member of the data science team at the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario (CSIO) which is located at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (TPASC). She also runs swim classes and enjoys teaching the next generation of athletes.

As for having a good luck charm, check out Pierre. It’s a stuffed animal that tags along for every competition. It looks more like a croissant – and it was a gift from her sister before Angus’ debut in the Olympics.

Angus has had her she of being in the Top Age Group (TAG) listings, more of a ranking system produced by the Canadian Swim Coaches Association, and based on gender, age grouping and event.

It scans the country seeking individual and team performances with the intention of assisting swimmers – those in the young category and others considered in the developing stages – for the purpose of comparing race times.

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. In 2026, he was inducted to the Toronto Sports Hall of Honour with a Lifetime Achievement Award.