Sydney Pickrem of the London Roar and Tokyo Frog Kings’ Markus Thormeyer each lowered their Canadian records in the first ISL semifinal Saturday and Sunday.
Pickrem finished second in the 400 individual medley in a time of 4:23.68. That time gashes more than two seconds out of the Canadian short-course record she set in ISL Match 10 at 4:25.90. The record had stood since 2016 in the hands of Mary-Sophie Harvey at 4:26.42. As Pickrem and her Roar move into the ISL final, Pickrem has lowered that record by nearly three seconds.
Sydney Pickrem’s splits in the race Sunday: 1:02.25 fly; 1:08.08 back; 1:13.27 breast; 1:00.08 free.
Pickrem’s final 50 split, a 29.25, was the fastest in the race by nearly a second and got her within 0.43 seconds of Yui Ohashi’s winning time. Her time is the second fastest in ISL this season, trialing only Ohashi, and is under the 400 IM record set by Cali Condors’ Melanie Margalis last season (4:24.15).
Earlier in the semifinal, Pickrem had brushed within .06 of her Canadian record in the 200 IM, clocking in at 2:04.40. Pickrem set that record last November.
Thormeyer lowered his 200 back Canadian short-course record on Day 1 of the semifinal. Thormeyer had set the record in ISL Match 5, when he went 1:50.30.
Saturday, he was three hundredths quicker in 1:50.27. It earned sixth place in a loaded field, won by his Tokyo teammate Ryosuke Irie in 1:49.02. Thormeyer has the ninth-fastest time in ISL this season.