Canadian Olympic Trials, Day 7 Prelims: Josh Liendo Fires National Record in 100 Fly
Josh Liendo’s form remains excellent, as a morning national record in the men’s 100 butterfly Sunday showed.
Liendo clocked in at 50.33 seconds to chip .01 off his national mark in the 100 fly, which had been set in Fukuoka in 2023. He’s the top seed, but as consequential is Ilya Kharun getting under the Olympic A cut in 51.66.
- Canadian Olympic Trials Live Results
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- Canadian Olympic Trials: Six Stories to Watch
- Night One Finals
- Night Two Finals
- Day Three Prelims
- Night Three Finals
- Day Four Prelims
- Night Four Finals
- Day Five Prelims
- Night Five Finals
- Day Six Prelims
- Night Six Finals
Behind those two is Finlay Knox, fresh off national record in the 200 IM.
Liendo may end up with the most attention-grabbing swim of the final night session, but the women’s competition is setting up arguably the better races.
In the women’s 50 freestyle, Taylor Ruck took the top seed in 25.14 seconds. Penny Oleksiak was second in 25.54. The Olympic A cut is 24.70, with the B cut at 24.82, and both have work to do to get to that. Neither of the program’s mainstays has qualified for an individual event yet.
Hannah Cornish was third in 25.59. Ten swimmers finished between 25.77 and 25.99.
The 200 individual medley is set to be just as thrilling. Mary-Sophie Harvey, who is in outstanding form, set the to seed in prelims at 2:11.32. That’s an Olympic A cut. Canadian record holder Summer McIntosh, though, will have something to say about it in the final. She was second in 2:11.61. Her national mark, set in this pool last year, is 2:06.89.
If McIntosh does what she has done all week, that would leave Sydney Pickrem and others battling with Harvey for one spot. Pickrem was fourth in prelims at 2:13.70, three tenths behind Ashley McMillan. Ella Jansen is fifth in 2:14.12, followed by Bailey Andison in sixth, Tessa Cieplucha in eighth and Julie Brousseau in 10th.
The final night session at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre will also feature the men’s 1,500 freestyle.
