In the heats of the 100-meter Butterfly, Josh Liendo of Markham, Ontario, ran a time of 50.78.
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Josh Liendo broke his own national men’s butterfly record twice on Wednesday at the Canadian swim trials, and Maggie Mac Neil, the defending Olympic champion, won the women’s butterfly. Liendo of Markham, Ontario, ran a time of 50.78 in the morning heats of the 100-meter fly, but in the Pan Am Sports Centre in Toronto, he clocked a time of 50.36. The 20-year-old took home the bronze medal in this event at the 2022 World Championship, and this summer he will take part in it once more in Fukuoka, Japan.
Liendo said, “I didn’t plan on that time in prelims. During the preliminary exams, I paid more attention to my technique. I needed to leave right away tonight, so I did. Going in and coming out caused some minor soreness, but that’s swimming.” On the other hand, Ilya Kharun, a Montrealer who placed second, ran a personal best time of 51:45. This was the First world championship for the 18-year-old.
The national trials, which draw 623 competitors from 148 clubs across the country, serve as a qualifying event for the world championship held in Japan from July 14 to July 30, and the world para-swimming championship, which takes place from July 31 to August. The Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile later this year, the world junior championship in Netanya, Israel, and the Paralympics on August 6.
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Toronto’s Summer McIntosh on Tuesday broke the women’s 400-meter freestyle world record. The 16-year-old will complete the 200-meter individual medley race on Thursday. Even though she was slower than her own Canadian record pace, Mac Neil of London, Ontario, was the only woman to finish the 100-meter butterfly in under 57 seconds in the final at 56.54 points. Liendo and Mac Neil set the fastest winning times ever this year.
Three-time Olympian Katerine Savard of Pont-Roug came in second place to Mac Neil with 57 points out of a possible 81. Javier Acevedo of Toronto, who was competing in the men’s 50-meter backstroke, lowered his national record to 24.90 seconds en route to winning. In the women’s 50-meter backstroke, Ingrid Wilm of Calgary came in just a few seconds after the winner, Kylie Masse. The two backstroke competitors qualified for the world championship when Masse was defeated by Wilm in the 100-meter event on day one. Observing Ingrid’s swimming abilities improve over the past few years has been amazing. She is a great swimmer.
Emma Finlin, a 17-year-old Edmonton resident, won the women’s 1,500 freestyle competition on Wednesday, and Eric Brownof won the men’s 800 free. Both athletes will compete in their first pool championship after taking part in open water competitions in Budapest, Hungary, last year. The women’s 400-meter freestyle multi-class event was where Aurélie Rivard, a five-time Paralympic gold medalist, competed to earn a spot in Manchester. Rivard had never participated in the event before taking home the gold medal and setting a world record at the Paralympics in Tokyo. Nick Bennett won the men’s 200 free multi-class in 1:56:38, qualifying him for the world para squad.
Multi-class champions Nikita Ens, Philippe Vachon, and Angela Marina all missed Manchester qualifying times in their respective events—the women’s 200 freestyle, the men’s 400 free, and the women’s 50-meter backstroke. Canada’s best junior, Olympic, and Paralympic swimmers will compete through Sunday.
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