Canadian Olympic Trials: Katerine Savard Books Third Olympic Trip in 100 Fly, Finishes Behind MacNeil

Katerine Savard-Olympic Swimming Trials-f-19june2021Photo Scott Grant

Katerine Savard; Photo Courtesy: Scott Grant/Swimming Canada

Canadian Olympic Trials: Katerine Savard Books Third Olympic Trip in 100 Fly

For 28-year-old Katerine Savard, an extra year until the Tokyo Olympics would be further delaying her post-swimming life. But a chance at third Olympics, even with all the behind-the-scenes toil and limited racing opportunities over the last year-plus, was too much to pass up.

Saturday night, Savard cashed in on that hard work, with a massive time drop to finish second in the 100 butterfly at the Canadian Olympic Trials and earn a place in the Tokyo Olympics.

Live Results

The event was won by Maggie MacNeil, who went 56.19. Second was Katerine Savard in 57.86. She just touched out Rebecca Smith, who was third in 57.93. But most importantly, Savard got under the Olympic A cut of 57.92.

It’s not a bad result for someone who entered the day as the sixth seed with a time of 59.93.

Olympic Swimming Trials-19june2021Photo Scott Grant

Maggie MacNeil; Photo Courtesy: Scott Grant/Swimming Canada

“I’m really surprised but in a good way,” Katerine Savard said. “I haven’t really raced the 100 fly since 2016, so I was not expecting that. I am shocked and really happy, and I’m excited to work on it to get faster.”

Tokyo will be the third Olympics for Savard. She finished 15th in the 200 freestyle in Rio, garnering a relay bronze in the 800 free. At the London Games in 2012, she was 16th in the 100 fly and 19th in the 200 fly.

Savard hasn’t allowed the extra year to delay her post-swimming life, per se. Among her accomplishments is starring in a movie about swimming.

“It’s been pretty hard but I had a dream to made the Olympics for a third time,” Savard said. “I don’t know, this year has been one of my best years because I was coming from far from 2016 and training after training, I was getting better and better, so I was so motivated and happy. I’m really excited about what I see in the pool right now.”

MacNeil’s time was shy of her Canadian mark in the event, a 55.83. But after being pre-selected to the Olympics, she had a certain security entering the swim, knowing she had time to improve.

“I think for me, it was just about getting up there and racing and getting a little bit more familiar with 100 flys again,” MacNeil said. “It’s been a while since I’ve done a couple of good ones, especially in a finals format. I was definitely excited to get that under my belt.”

Savard needed her time to hold off Smith, who had a previous A cut but finished third.

Women’s 100 fly

 Event 1  Women 100 LC Meter Butterfly
==================================================================
     CANADIAN: N 55.83  2019-07-22Margaret MacNeil, LAC
    OLYMPIC A: A 57.92
    Name                 Year Team              Prelims     Finals        
==================================================================
                        === A - Final ===                         
 
  1 MacNeil, Margaret      00 LAC                 56.70      56.19A 
    r:+0.67  26.40        56.19 (29.79)
  2 Savard, Katerine       93 CAMO                58.13      57.86A 
    r:+0.66  27.17        57.86 (30.69)
  3 Smith, Rebecca         00 SCAR                58.94      57.93  
    r:+0.75  26.63        57.93 (31.30)
  4 Zavaros, Mabel         00 MAC                 59.23      59.16  
    r:+0.56  27.72        59.16 (31.44)
  5 Hanus, Danielle        98 ISC                 59.66      59.50  
    r:+0.69  28.15        59.50 (31.35)
  6 Fernandes, Aryanna     00 AAC               1:00.62    1:00.50  
    r:+0.70  27.93      1:00.50 (32.57)
  7 Gormley, Breckin       04 NKB               1:00.93    1:00.53  
    r:+0.66  28.39      1:00.53 (32.14)
  8 McMillan, Ashley       04 KISU              1:00.82    1:00.88  
    r:+0.76  28.64      1:00.88 (32.24)
  9 Field, Josie           01 UBCT              1:01.06    1:00.98  
    r:+0.69  28.77      1:00.98 (32.21)
 10 Sasseville, Genevieve  03 WS                1:00.93    1:01.09  
    r:+0.69  28.17      1:01.09 (32.92)

Men’s 100 fly

Joshua Liendo didn’t quite replicate his morning speed Saturday night, but he won the men’s 100 fly nonetheless in 51.72. It’s his second A cut of the day, and he’ll be the lone Canadian representative at the event in Tokyo.

Liendo was quicker in the morning, grabbing the A cut in 51.40. That also downed a five-year-old national record belonging to Santo Condorelli.

“It was great,” Liendo said of the morning swim. “It was something I was definitely looking to go. I had a good start, a good reaction time. I felt really smooth through that first 50, something I should’ve done more tonight, If eel. That first 50 felt really smooth, and I was able to bring it back home.”

Second in the event was Finlay Knox in 52.65, though he was short of the Olympic A cut.

Event 2  Men 100 LC Meter Butterfly
==================================================================
     CANADIAN: N 51.40  2021-06-19Joshua Liendo, NYAC
    OLYMPIC A: A 51.96
    Name                 Year Team              Prelims     Finals        
==================================================================
                        === A - Final ===                         
 
  1 Liendo, Joshua         02 NYAC                51.40      51.72A 
    r:+0.67  24.21        51.72 (27.51)
  2 Knox, Finlay           01 SCAR                53.16      52.65  
    r:+0.69  24.46        52.65 (28.19)
  3 Ogilvie, Keir          02 UBCT                53.73      53.28  
    r:+0.67  24.75        53.28 (28.53)
  4 Darragh, Mack          93 OAK                 54.33      53.68  
    r:+0.66  25.32        53.68 (28.36)
  5 Calkins, Stephen       98 UCSC                54.49      53.88  
    r:+0.64  24.73        53.88 (29.15)
  6 Champagne, Montana     96 GO                  54.76      54.35  
    r:+0.72  25.43        54.35 (28.92)
  7 Perreault, Alexandre   98 OTTSC               54.82      54.60  
    r:+0.62  25.05        54.60 (29.55)
  8 Olafson, Carson        97 UBCT                54.78      54.66  
    r:+0.70  25.17        54.66 (29.49)
  9 Migneault, Justice     02 UBCT                54.67      54.68  
    r:+0.65  25.18        54.68 (29.50)
 10 Marcoux, Raphael       98 UL                  54.59      54.96  
    r:+0.65  25.90        54.96 (29.06)

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