Swimming Canada and the Canadian Olympic Committee have added Benjamin Cote, Abby Dunford, Emma Finlin and Eric Hedlin, thus completing the swimming team.

The 2023 Canadian Open Water Trials took place last weekend at Governor's Beach in Grand Cayman.

Finlin won the women’s 10 kilometres race on Saturday (April 15), followed by Dunford in second place.

In the men’s race, second-place finisher Hedlin and third-place finisher Cote were the top two swimmers to declare availability for Santiago 2023.

All four will also be part of Canada’s team at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan this summer.

Cote, who earlier was named to the pool team along with Finlin, will be making his national team debut this year.

"I’m super excited to represent Canada at the Pan American Games," Cote said.

"I can’t wait to swim in both the pool and the open water."

Dunford and Finlin were national team rookies last year and will join Cote in making their Pan American Games debuts.

Hedlin, meanwhile, brings a wealth of experience, including a ninth-place finish at the Toronto 2015 Pan American Games and two World Championships medals in the 5km distance.

"Wearing the maple leaf always makes me so proud," Hedlin said.

"I love representing my country and Canada takes really good care of us.

"I’ve been swimming at this level now for 10 years and it’s been such a good journey."

Open water swimming, also known as marathon swimming, will see 20 swimmers per gender racing a 10km course.

The discipline has been on the Pan American Games sport programme since Rio 2007, and the Olympic sport programme since Beijing 2008.

Canada has earned two Pan American Games medals in open water swimming: a gold at Guadalajara 2011 by Richard Weinberger and a bronze from Rio 2007 by Tanya Hunks.

Mark Perry will serve as open water head coach, joined by Finlin’s coach Paul Birmingham as team coach. 

Bette El-Hawary of Halifax will be the team manager.

The four open water swimming athletes join 36 pool swimming athletes, 34 of whom were nominated to Team Canada earlier this month.

Two other athletes who were originally nominated - Ben Miller and Rebecca Smith - have now withdrawn and will be replaced by Julie Brousseau and Kevin Zhang.