Chantal Vanlandeghem celebrates after winning the women's 50m freestyle event during the finals of the Canadian Olympic swimming trials in Toronto on Sunday, April 10, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

TORONTO - The gender imbalance on Canada's Olympic swim team is one women can celebrate.

Nineteen women and eight men were named to the team Sunday night to conclude six days of trials at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.

Canada's top contender in the pool is male, however. Distance freestyler Ryan Cochrane of Victoria is a double medal threat.

"I think our women are definitely the strong suit," Cochrane said. "We don't have a lot of quantity on the men's side, but I think we have the quality."

Cochrane leads Canada's 27 swimmers into the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro from Aug. 5 to Aug. 21. Swimming runs Aug. 6-13 at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.

A top-two result in a trials final combined with racing under an Olympic qualifying time was required to claim a berth to Brazil.

The trials were emotionally draining as some Olympic dreams came true and some were dashed. Successful swimmers consoled disappointed teammates and celebrated their accomplishments simultaneously.

Both the Olympic and Paralympic teams were introduced Sunday. Montreal's Benoit Huot, who will compete in a fifth Paralympics, and rising star Aurelie Rivard of St-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, Que., headline the 22-swimmer Paralympic squad.

The 2016 Olympic team ranges in age from 15-year-old swim sensation Penny Oleksiak to 32-year-old Audrey Lacroix heading to her third Summer Games.

The 2012 team numbered 31 — 18 women and 13 men. Canada's three Olympic swim medals in London were won by men.

The women's side is much deeper for Rio, particularly in freestyle speed which bodes well for the relays.

"I don't want to swear right now but I'm so excited about the women's team, by far and away the fastest women's team we've ever had," backstroker Hilary Caldwell said.

"We've got some amazing big hitters and some great relays. On the men's side we've got less, but strong, strong guys."

Cochrane is coming off a pair of bronze medals in last year's world championship in Kazan, Russia. The 27-year-old will swim the 400 on the first day of swimming at Rio and the 1,500 on the final day.

"I'd ideally like to be on the podium twice this summer," Cochrane said.

To accommodate North American television time zones, the heats will be at 1 p.m. and the finals at 10 p.m., which is an irregular schedule for swimmers.

The Canadian team was in a rebuild after 2004, when the country was shut out of swim medals in Athens for the first time in four decades. Cochrane won a 1,500-metre bronze in 2008 followed by a silver in 2012.

Retired swimmer Brent Hayden took bronze in the 100-metre freestyle and Richard Weinberger of Surrey, B.C., claimed bronze in the open-water swim in London.

Seven men's finals in Toronto didn't produce a Rio swim. Cochrane and freestyle sprinters Santo Condorelli of Kenora, Ont., and Yuri Kisil of Calgary were the only men qualifying in more than one event.

Others to watch in Rio include Weinberger again in the marathon swim and Emily Overholt of West Vancouver, B.C., who was a bronze medallist in the 400-metre individual medley in Kazan.

Freestyle sprinters Condorelli, Chantal Van Landeghem of Winnipeg and individual medley specialist Sydney Pickrem of Oldsmar, Fla., made the finals there and placed in the top six.

Oleksiak was the breakout performer at trials. Six foot one and still growing, the Toronto teen broke a world junior and Canadian record in the 100-metre freestyle. She'll also represent Canada in the 100-metre butterfly and 200 freestyle.

Family swim ties run through the 2016 edition. Ashton Baumann, the son of former Olympic gold medallist and world-record holder Alex Baumann, will race the 200-metre breaststroke in Rio.

Women's relay team member Kennedy Goss's father Donald (Sandy) Goss won relay silver in 1984.

Criteria for the Paralympic swim team was different. Swimmers in different classifications raced each other and points were awarded for times. The Rio Paralympics are Sept. 7-18.

The para-swim team won 16 of Canada's 31 medals four years ago in London, including four gold.

Canada's Paralympic medal count has been dropping as more countries compete harder and put more resources into parasport.

Huot won five gold medals in 2004. The 32-year-old pointed out the times he swam in Athens would not have put him on the podium in London.

"Imagine what it's going to be this summer," Huot said. "A medal in Beijing would not be on the podium in Rio.

"The objective is 14 (medals). Are we going to get the 14? I believe we can."

News from © The Canadian Press, 2016