VICTORIA, B.C.—After announcing his retirement from competitive swimming this morning, Canadian Olympic medallist Ryan Cochrane proceeded to "just totally god damn annihilate" an Aquafit class at the Windy Willows Retirement Centre near his house, according to his fellow students.

Linda Farnham, 77, who attends the Tuesday afternoon class every week, explains, "This fellow came in, a new fellow. He said he had just retired today. We've all been there, haven't we! And so we all welcomed him with a vague smattering of tepid applause."

Farnham continues, "But as soon as the music started, my god. This gentleman had a power and force in his movements that just blew everyone else out of the water. No, I mean literally: all eight of us had to leave the pool because this fellow's kicks and claps were just that vigorous."

Aquafit instructor Jennifer Palmerston confirms the highly unexpected development in her normally uneventful class.

"This new guy was splashing and thrashing around in the water just so incredibly hard," she recalls. "His enormous biceps were glistening with three-day-old chlorine. I told them to do five jumping jacks. He did 500. In the same amount of time, too. Just breathtaking. Oh, and he did the entire class in the deep end."

"Once in a blue moon you get a student who is so promising and has so much potential that it makes your entire teaching career worthwhile," Palmerston explains tearfully. "That had never happened to me in 22 years of teaching Aquafit to retired people, but it certainly happened today."

Palmerston says that at one point during the class she asked her students to try a "pretty saucy move" where they raise their arms above their heads and shout the word 'Yes!' She says that the new guy's version of this exercise was to leap out of the pool using just one leg, jump onto the diving board, and perform a triple reverse pike into the water with flawless execution while giving a thumbs-up."

"Oh!" shared Aquafit participant Kenneth-Paul Brent, 80.

When pressed for comment in the change room after class, Cochrane explained, "you know, retirement is a big deal so I just wanted to go out there today and give 110% and whatever happens happens."