2022 Bell Canadian Trials: Josh Liendo Blasts Canadian Record 21.63 50 Free; Betters Brent Hayden Mark

Joshua Liendo-Olympic Swimming Trials-f-21june2021Photo Scott Grant

Josh Liendo; Photo Courtesy: Scott Grant

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2022 Bell Canadian Trials: Josh Liendo Blasts Canadian Record 21.63 50 Free

Josh Liendo is officially the fastest Canadian sprinter in history. The 19-year-old star-in-the-making turned in an outstanding 21.63 in the 50 free at Bell Canadian Trials Sunday night, taking down a Canadian record held since 2009 by the newly re-retired Brent Hayden.

Liendo entered with a best time of 21.90. He went 21.79 in the morning, Hayden’s record surviving for another few hours by .06. At night, Liendo went 21.63 to lop a tenth of a second off the super-suited record set in Rome in 2009 at the World Championships.

Though separated in age by nearly two decades, Hayden and Liendo were relay teammates in Tokyo, and the record was a topic of conversation. Liendo’s rapid improvement made the record’s erasure all but an inevitability.

“We always joked and talked about the record,” Liendo said in a Swimming Canada release. “It was cool to get it.”

It gives Liendo, who won bronze in the 50 free and 100 free at the Short-Course World Championships in December, some momentum headed into Worlds in Budapest this summer. The Canadian Trials at Saanich Commonwealth Place in Victoria, which wrapped up Sunday, serve as the selection meet for that and other meets.

Second in the 50 was Yuri Kisil in 22.17 seconds. Owen Guyn was third in 22.61, ahead of 200 free champ Ruslan Gaziev.

Event 56  Men 50 LC Meter Freestyle
==================================================================
        WORLD: w 20.91  2009-12-18Cesar Cielo Filho, BRA
          CAN: n 21.73  2009-07-31Brent Hayden, UBCD
    Name           Year Team              Prelims     Finals  FINA       
==================================================================
                        === A - Final ===                         
 
  1 Liendo, Joshua   02 NYAC                21.79      21.63n  903  
         r:+0.65                       
  2 Kisil, Yuri      95 WS                  22.48      22.17   839  
         r:+0.65                       
  3 Guyn, Owen       96 LASC                22.87      22.61   790  
         r:+0.58                       
  4 Gaziev, Ruslan   99 ESWIM               22.97      22.99   752  
         r:+0.66                       
  5 Fullum-Huot, Ed  02 PCSC                23.05      23.04   747  
         r:+0.59                       
  5 Weaver, Liam M   03 CASC                22.95      23.04   747  
         r:+0.66                       
  7 Lebuke, James    02 ISC                 23.12      23.12   739  
         r:+0.63                       
  8 Ayoubi, Mehdi    98 CAMO                23.18      23.24   728  
         r:+0.62

The women’s 50 free went to Kayla Sanchez over a scaled-back field. The champion in the 100 free earned another Worlds swim in 24.93 seconds. She was quicker in the morning at 24.82, but her finals time was still .65 seconds clear of runner-up Hannah Cornish.

“The 50 free isn’t a huge focus of mine but I love to race it because it helps me get my speed,” Sanchez said. “I’m always trying to be faster. I got another win under my belt.”

Roxane Lemieux, the 30-year-old veteran, finished third in 25.70.

Event 55  Women 50 LC Meter Freestyle
==================================================================
        WORLD: w 23.67  2017-07-29Sarah Sjoestroem, SWE
          CAN: n 24.39  2015-08-09Chantal Van Landeghem, TSC
    Name           Year Team              Prelims     Finals  FINA       
==================================================================
                        === A - Final ===                         
 
  1 Sanchez, Kayla   01 AAC                 24.82      24.93   855  
         r:+0.65                       
  2 Cornish, Hannah  03 USC                 25.90      25.58   792  
         r:+0.68                       
  3 Lemieux, Roxane  91 NN                  25.80      25.70   781  
         r:+0.67                       
  4 Henderson, Hann  02 ESWIM               25.97      25.90   763  
         r:+0.67                       
  5 Daley, Lilly N   05 MAC                 26.16      25.98   756  
         r:+0.67                       
  6 Huddle, Charis   96 WES                 26.03      26.03   751  
         r:+0.62                       
  7 Vander Leek, Te  04 EKSC                26.26      26.11   745  
         r:+0.60                       
  7 Cannings, Kamry  05 UCSC                25.94      26.11   745  
         r:+0.67

Katrina Bellio is likely to get a Worlds swim after winning the 800 free. She clocked in at 8:38.90, exactly one second outside the FINA A standard. She was within a second of her best time.

“It’s as good as I could have hoped to finish off the weekend,” the 17-year-old Bellio said. “This was a big stepping stone to know what I have to do next to prepare. I hope to get faster and stronger overall.”

Bellio, an Olympian in the 1,500 free in Tokyo, finished second in the longer event at Trials. The winner of the 1,500, 16-year-old Abby Dunford, finished fourth in the 800.

In between was University of Florida swimmer Mabel Zavaros in second and Emma Finlin in third. Summer McIntosh opted not to swim the event.

Event 57  Women 800 LC Meter Freestyle
==================================================================
         FINA: f 8:37.90
        WORLD: w 8:04.79  2016-08-12Katie Ledecky, USA
          CAN: n 8:20.02  2014-08-21Brittany MacLean, ESWIM
    Name           Year Team                 Seed     Finals  FINA       
==================================================================
  1 Bellio, Katrina  04 ESWIM             8:38.12    8:38.90   815  
    r:+0.70  29.42      1:00.96 (31.54)
        8:06.64 (33.34)     8:38.90 (32.26)
  2 Zavaros, Mabel   00 MAC               8:46.31    8:42.16   800  
    r:+0.69  29.66      1:01.53 (31.87)
        8:10.30 (32.74)     8:42.16 (31.86)
  3 Finlin, Emma     05 EKSC              8:51.31    8:42.54   798  
    r:+0.68  29.66      1:01.41 (31.75)
        8:10.01 (32.47)     8:42.54 (32.53)
  4 Dunford, Abby C  06 UNCAN/SAND-NV     8:43.43    8:45.13   786  
    r:+0.73  29.42      1:01.00 (31.58)
        8:12.33 (33.55)     8:45.13 (32.80)
  5 Kilger, Lydia    06 PCSC              9:09.47    8:54.10   747  
    r:+0.76  30.11      1:03.15 (33.04)
        8:22.02 (33.29)     8:54.10 (32.08)
  6 Willar, Megan    04 PCSC              9:01.11    8:55.42   742  
    r:+0.73  29.54      1:01.80 (32.26)
        8:22.93 (34.33)     8:55.42 (32.49)
  7 Statkevicius, S  07 ESWIM             8:55.23    8:56.62   737  
    r:+0.68  29.97      1:02.43 (32.46)
        8:26.18 (32.89)     8:56.62 (30.44)
  8 Bezanson, Maya   07 ESWIM             8:57.17    8:56.79   736  
    r:+0.76  30.22      1:02.95 (32.73)
        8:23.92 (34.20)     8:56.79 (32.87)

Kelsey Wog delivered an outstanding swim in the 200 breaststroke to win in an auto qualifying time of 2:24.87. The Tokyo Olympian bested the field by nearly two seconds.

“I had to be patient and wait my turn until the very last day to do it,” Wog said. “It’s been a tough (meet) and a tough year in general. I’m really proud to be able to step up on the blocks and qualify.”

Rachel Nicol finished second in 2:26.75, .09 up on Tessa Cieplucha. Sydney Pickrem did not swim the event. Kierra Smith was disqualified in prelims.

vent 53  Women 200 LC Meter Breaststroke
==================================================================
        WORLD: w 2:19.11  2013-08-01Rikke Moeller-Pedersen, DEN
          CAN: n 2:20.12  2009-07-30Annamay Pierse, UBCD
    Name           Year Team              Prelims     Finals  FINA       
==================================================================
                        === A - Final ===                         
 
  1 Wog, Kelsey      98 UM                2:28.19    2:24.87   885  
    r:+0.66  32.71      1:09.50 (36.79)
        1:46.55 (37.05)     2:24.87 (38.32)
  2 Nicol, Rachel    93 UCSC              2:27.78    2:26.75   851  
    r:+0.66  33.39      1:11.03 (37.64)
        1:48.92 (37.89)     2:26.75 (37.83)
  3 Cieplucha, Tess  98 MAC               2:28.49    2:26.84   850  
    r:+0.76  33.94      1:11.11 (37.17)
        1:48.58 (37.47)     2:26.84 (38.26)
  4 Wiseman, Avery   02 OSC               2:30.50    2:28.03   829  
    r:+0.63  33.23      1:10.96 (37.73)
        1:49.28 (38.32)     2:28.03 (38.75)
  5 Kucheran, Nina   00 SLSC              2:33.55    2:28.93   814  
    r:+0.64  33.11      1:10.44 (37.33)
        1:48.94 (38.50)     2:28.93 (39.99)
  6 Angus, Sophie G  99 UNCAN/NU-IL       2:33.78    2:32.31   761  
    r:+0.66  34.47      1:13.03 (38.56)
        1:52.87 (39.84)     2:32.31 (39.44)
  7 Spence, Emma     02 ROD/UBCT          2:33.46    2:32.53   758  
    r:+0.71  33.93      1:12.62 (38.69)
        1:52.10 (39.48)     2:32.53 (40.43)
  8 Brousseau, Juli  06 NKB               2:35.25    2:34.07   736  
    r:+0.70  34.62      1:13.13 (38.51)
        1:53.84 (40.71)     2:34.07 (40.23)

James Dergousoff added a second win on the week, overtaking Finlay Knox on the final 50 to win the 200 breast. Dergousoff won in 2:13.84, just .12 up on Knox. Both were more than three seconds off the automatic FINA cut.

Eric Brown won the men’s 1,500 free in 15:17.46. That’s also shy of the A standard, by 13 seconds. Brown had earlier won the 800 free.

Event 54  Men 200 LC Meter Breaststroke
==================================================================
        WORLD: w 2:06.12  2019-07-26Anton Chupkov, RUS
          CAN: n 2:08.84  2008-08-13Mike Brown, UCSC
    Name           Year Team              Prelims     Finals  FINA       
==================================================================
                        === A - Final ===                         
 
  1 Dergousoff, Jam  96 UL                2:16.03    2:13.84   836  
    r:+0.66  30.79      1:05.19 (34.40)
        1:39.26 (34.07)     2:13.84 (34.58)
  2 Knox, Finlay     01 SCAR              2:17.98    2:13.96   834  
    r:+0.66  30.08      1:04.54 (34.46)
        1:38.91 (34.37)     2:13.96 (35.05)
  3 Hess, Apollo     02 UOFL              2:17.49    2:15.53   805  
    r:+0.64  29.97      1:04.17 (34.20)
        1:39.62 (35.45)     2:15.53 (35.91)
  4 LeFranc, Jaren   99 KISU/UBCT         2:16.90    2:15.99   797  
    r:+0.66  31.42      1:06.19 (34.77)
        1:40.79 (34.60)     2:15.99 (35.20)
  5 Gagne, Collyn    00 SFA               2:20.19    2:17.91   764  
    r:+0.67  31.81      1:06.79 (34.98)
        1:42.29 (35.50)     2:17.91 (35.62)
  6 Migneault, Just  02 UBCT              2:17.07    2:18.08   762  
    r:+0.61  30.72      1:05.77 (35.05)
        1:41.66 (35.89)     2:18.08 (36.42)
  7 Koueiki, Jeremy  03 CAMO              2:20.52    2:19.24   743  
    r:+0.68  31.45      1:06.37 (34.92)
        1:42.88 (36.51)     2:19.24 (36.36)
  8 Luykenaar, Aide  03 UCSC              2:20.43    2:20.76   719  
    r:+0.66  31.34      1:07.44 (36.10)
        1:44.17 (36.73)     2:20.76 (36.59)

Event 58  Men 1500 LC Meter Freestyle
==================================================================
         FINA: f 15:04.64
        WORLD: w 14:31.02  2012-08-04Yang Sun, CHN
          CAN: n 14:39.63  2012-08-04Ryan Cochrane, IS
    Name           Year Team                 Seed     Finals  FINA       
==================================================================
  1 Brown, Eric      02 PCSC             15:19.69   15:17.46   855  
    r:+0.70  26.99        56.68 (29.69)
       14:48.10 (30.33)    15:17.46 (29.36)
  2 Axon, Alex       03 MAC              15:26.16   15:31.93   816  
    r:+0.66  27.11        56.89 (29.78)
       15:01.38 (31.15)    15:31.93 (30.55)
  3 Hedlin, Eric     93 UVPCS            15:24.42   15:37.71   801  
    r:+0.71  28.67        58.95 (30.28)
       15:05.62 (32.72)    15:37.71 (32.09)
  4 Fan, Hau-Li      97 UBCT             15:33.13   15:38.72   798  
    r:+0.78  27.22        56.60 (29.38)
       15:09.57 (29.33)    15:38.72 (29.15)
  5 Wu, Yu Tong (Ad  04 SKSC             15:50.64   15:47.35   777  
    r:+0.68  28.32        58.73 (30.41)
       15:17.18 (31.53)    15:47.35 (30.17)
  6 Paulins, Sebast  98 BRANT            15:53.60   15:49.45   772  
    r:+0.66  27.86        58.23 (30.37
       15:19.39 (31.73)    15:49.45 (30.06)
  6 Paz, Diego       03 UOFA             16:13.27   15:49.45   772  
    r:+0.65  28.62        59.85 (31.23)
       15:19.37 (31.31)    15:49.45 (30.08)
  8 Dommann, Raben   01 UBCT             15:42.90   15:53.81   761  
    r:+0.73  28.46        59.40 (30.94)
       15:23.50 (31.89)    15:53.81 (30.31)

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