HAMILTON, Bermuda – Kayla Sanchez and Josh Young are getting much more than medal hardware out of their experience with the Canadian Youth Team at the Validus Bermuda National Championships.

The two 15-year-olds each made it two medals in two days on Friday, with Ajax, Ont.’s Sanchez captured the gold medal in girls 13-and-over 400-metre individual medley in five minutes 0.11 seconds. Canadian counterpart Faith Knelson, 14 swam a silver-earning 5:03.54. Young (4:41.85, silver), from Red Deer Catalina Swimming Club, and fellow Albertan Mackenzie Flowers (4:56.24, bronze) made the boys 13-and-over 400 IM podium.

“I had a chance to do a best time but didn’t come back quite as fast in the freestyle [leg],” said Sanchez, a Markham Aquatic Club athlete who earned the 800-metre freestyle silver on Thursday as part of a 1-2 finish with Octavia Lau from Hyack Swim Club. “It definitely gives me more confidence going into my sprint events.

“Honestly, this camp has been amazing,” Sanchez added. “As much exposure as I have had, it hasn’t been with girls with my age. Just getting together with people from across the country and getting in an environment where we are a team, it just makes this trip just so much better. You know you’re not alone in what you’re doing and I’m just so proud of everyone.”

The Canadian contingent, who are in Bermuda for a midseason training camp,have also claimed 5-of-6 distance medals thus far. Young related that the experience has been valuable as a lead-up to the Canadian Age Group Championships, which will be held in Calgary, Alta., in a little more than two months.

“Tonight’s races were really good for the training we’re at in this point of the season,” Young said. “There’s a lot I can take away from it and from the training we have been doing at this camp. I know I can tweak some things from this race for the big meets this summer. The age group championships are going to be a hour from my home, so I’m really excited to perform in my home province and see what step I can take from there.”

Thursday, Etobicoke Swimming Club’s Ruslan Gaziev won boys 1,500-m freestyle in 16:50.35 to lead a podium sweep with Flowers (16.52.68) and Young (17:05.19).

“Coach Tina [Hoeben], the events coach, has done a great job of giving all the guys confidence,” the 16-year-old Gaziev said. “With the training we’ve been doing, we were a little tired coming in, but it’s been very specific training. To go a fast time is very good for me at this point of the year.”

Lau clocked 9:04.90 in 800-m freestyle for a nearly eight-second margin against Sanchez at 9:13.15.

“It was a really good race for this point of the year,” Lau stated. “My goal was to go under 9:10.”

Gaziev, Young, Flowers and Riley Wall had the four fastest preliminary times in 200-m freestyle on Friday. Sanchez and Lau had the fastest girls’ 200-m prelim times.