iFund Lending Adopts an Athlete Through CAN Fund: Ryan Cochrane, Swimming - 2010 Commonwealth Games Double-Gold Medalist and 2008 Olympic Bronze Medalist

    VANCOUVER, BC, June 30, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- With just over a year remaining until the Games in London England, iFund Diversified Lending is joining companies across Canada in supporting the CAN Fund's Adopt-An-Athlete Program. This one-of-a-kind opportunity is interactive and allows companies to support athletes when the support is needed the most, and also be a part of their success and journey.

IFund Lending is pleased to announce that it has adopted champion swimmer Ryan Cochrane. Ryan is a BC-born and -raised athlete, and trains out of Victoria, BC with the University of Victoria Vikes swimming program. "iFund is incredibly proud to be supporting Ryan, an accomplished and decorated world-class athlete, with our donation during the next year as he competes and prepares for London. Our business is providing entrepreneurs with the critical funding they need to reach their goals, and supporting Ryan mirrors iFund's business focus of supporting the pursuit of excellence," said Gordon Bylo, COO, iFund Diversified Lending.

"CAN Fund is an invaluable resource for Canadian Athletes; without it we wouldn't be able to attend certain training camps, wouldn't be able to compete against the best in the world, and wouldn't be able to accomplish the international success Canadian athletes are truly worthy of," said Ryan Cochrane, a multiple recipient of CAN Fund. Cochrane, 22, of Victoria attends the University of Victoria and is a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and a 2010 Commonwealth Games double-gold medalist. (A more detailed biography is below.)

Canadian Athletes Now Fund (CAN Fund) is a not-for-profit organization that provides direct financial support to Canadian athletes. With every donation made to CAN Fund, you find out the name of the athlete supported and receive a tax receipt. Over 500 summer athletes training to represent Canada recently applied to the Fund. To learn more about the CAN Fund Adopt-An-Athlete Program, please visit, www.MYCANFUND.ca or contact: Jane Roos at 1-866-937-2008.

Biography: Ryan Cochrane, Swimming

2010 Commonwealth Games Double-Gold Medalist & 2008 Olympic Bronze Medalist

Focus, drive and determination are the qualities that Victoria's Ryan Cochrane possesses in the swimming pool. Olympic Bronze medalist in the 1500 freestyle and Canadian record holder in the 400, 800 and 1500 freestyle, Cochrane is one of Canada's leading forces in the distance events.

Since 2008, Cochrane, who is coached by Randy Bennett at the National Swimming Academy of Victoria, has proven conclusively that he belongs with the best of the best in the world.

Most recently, Cochrane finished the 2010 season with a bang, showing that he was on the right path towards achieving his goals for London 2012. At the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships, he won gold in the 800 and 1500m freestyle and silver in the 400m freestyle, out ranking his arch-rival Oussama Mellouli. He continued his gold medal winning streak by adding two Commonwealth Games gold medals to his collection. Cochrane was also named Male swimmer of the year at the 2010 Big Splash Awards Gala in Toronto. At the 2009 World Championships, Cochrane collected a bronze and silver in the 800m and 1500m freestyle respectively.

In 2008, he won the preliminary round of the 1500 free setting a new Olympic record, Commonwealth record and lowering his own Canadian record by 10 seconds. On the last day of the Olympic swimming program, Cochrane picked up the bronze medal for Canada. He also lowered his own national mark in the 400 and 800 (split from the 1500m) freestyle.

2007 was the year that Cochrane's determination paid off. It started at the World Championships in Melbourne, Australia where Ryan broke his own Canadian record in the 800m freestyle with a time of 7:51.55. Then, six months later at the French Open in Paris, Cochrane became the first Canadian ever to break the fifteen minute mark in the 1500m freestyle, smashing the Canadian record with a time of 14:59.02.

Cochrane's breakthrough year was in 2006 when he was well on his way to Australia with the Junior National Team, but his exceptional performance at the Commonwealth Games trial secured him a spot on the Senior National Team heading to the Commonwealth Games. At the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships in Victoria, Cochrane went on to become one of Canada's shining stars winning a bronze medal in the 800 freestyle.

His swimming career continued to thrive at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne Australia in 2006. In the 400 freestyle, Ryan came in 8th with a time of 3:54.24. He touched the wall at 15:21.94 in an excellent effort, earning himself an overall 5th place finish in the 1500 freestyle.

Cochrane started as a Red Cross swim lesson graduate and swimming camp swimmer with Paul Block and quickly joined the ranks of competitive swimming. He is a student at the University of Victoria and a member of the Island swimming club. Ryan is also a multiple recipient of CAN fund.

Photographs are available upon request
Source: Swimming Canada www.swimming.ca

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Website: http://www.ifundlending.ca

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