TRU Wolfpack swimming with twins

Nov 24, 2017 | 2:42 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Gauthier brothers have been swimming together since they were 9 years old. 

“I played football before, then I broke my arm and I didn’t want to play football anymore,” said Matthew Gauther, a freshman Wolfpack swimmer. “My dad put me into swimming and ever since I’ve liked the sport.”

As Matthew ventured from the gridiron to the pool, his brother Tyler, who happens to be his identical twin, jumped into the deep end as well. 

“It’s competitive, it’s a good sport, and it’s really good for fitness,” said the quieter Gauther. 

The twins, who moved to Kamloops for school from Alberta, do everything together — day and night — and that includes swimming practice with the TRU Wolfpack. 

“It’s pretty fun to have a sibling around all the time and always a friend beside me in the pool,” said Matthew. “We swim together in the same lane all the time, and it’s just a better environment.”

But the Gauthier boys are not alone in their similarities in the pool. The Uppal girls, Gursharan and Gurcharan, are fraternal twins swimming together at TRU. 

“It’s really cool,” said Gurcharan. “It’s fun to have someone during practice. We talk and have fun. Also we’re competitive, too.”

Like the Gauthier boys, it’s their first years with the Wolfpack. They’re following in the footsteps of their brother Jagdeesh Uppal who swam at TRU until graduating last year. 

“I kind of want to follow what he’s doing,” noted Gurcharan. “It’s really cool to have an older sibling who’s been through everything before to kind of look up to.”

TRU head swimming coach Brad Dalke says he’s coached twins before, but not two sets of look-alikes. 

“I’ve had identical twins before, but that was 25 years ago when I was coaching in Saskatoon,” noted Dalke. “To have identical twins, not only one set but two sets, that’s highly unusual.”

Aside from being twins, all four are competitive in the pool. But it’s only Matthew among them who will be competing in the Canada West championships this weekend in Victoria. 

“He’s had a very successful swim season so far,” said Dalke. “His 100-metre breast stroke has been particularly good.”