Canadian Trials, Night 3: Josh Liendo Wins 50 Free in 21.88
The sprint field is getting better in Canada, but so is Josh Liendo.
Liendo went 21.88 to win the men’s 50 freestyle at the 2025 Bell Canadian Trials Monday night, his time earning him a spot at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.
Liendo edged out Ilya Kharun, who had bested him in the 100 fly on Sunday night. Liendo was the early headliner of the third night of six at Saanich Commonwealth Place.
All the action:
- Live Results
- Psych Sheet
- Live Steam (CBC Sports on Youtube)
- Canadian Trials Preview
- Day 1 Prelims Recap
- Day 1 Finals Recap
- Day 2 Prelims Recap
- Day 2 Finals Recap
- Day 3 Prelims Recap
Women’s 50 freestyle
In a battle of program mainstays, Penny Oleksiak picked up the win in 24.89 seconds. That’s .07 seconds off the World Aquatics auto qualification standard. Oleksiak bested mate Taylor Ruck, who went 24.96. Both are B times.
Third place was Sarah Fournier in 25.17. Leah Tigert finished fourth in 25.74, making her the top junior swimmer.
Men’s 50 freestyle
Josh Liendo got the job done in the men’s 50 free with a time of 21.88. It’s well off his best time, the Canadian record of 21.48. But it is an A cut for Worlds.
Second was Ilya Kharun, who had beaten Liendo in the 100 fly. Kharun missed the auto qualification standard by .01 seconds in 22.06. Third place went to Ruslan Gaziev, the morning’s top seed in his return from a doping suspension. Yuri Kisil finished fourth in 22.50. The B final was won by Nikoli Blackman in 22.54.
Women’s 100 breaststroke
Alexanne Lepage outdueled Sophie Angus in an engrossing final. Lepage won the race in 1:06.87, right on the A cut for Worlds and earning priority for the women’s medley relay. Angus went 1:07.27 for second place. (That’s the same time that Italian international Anita Bottazzo used to win the B final.)
Shona Branton went 1:07.79 to finished third in the A final. Eloise Allen led the rest of the pack more than two seconds behind Branton.
Men’s 100 breaststroke
Apollo Hess brought it out hard early, but he didn’t have the pace late to stick with Oliver Dawson. Dawson finished the breaststroke double with a time of 1:00.73. That was well ahead of Hess, the Paris Olympian who went 1:02.12. Justice Migneault was third in the 100 as he was in the 200 in 1:02.24.
Dawson’s time is a second shy of the A cut for Worlds. More pertinent, it’s slower than the time of 1:00.68 that Finlay Knox went in morning prelims, which gives Knox the priority for a medley relay at Worlds. Knox scratched the final of the 100 breast to focus on the 200 IM.
Women’s 200 individual medley
Summer McIntosh remains her. McIntosh set her second world record of the meet, going 2:05.70 to erase the standard of 2:06.12 set by Katinka Hosszu in 2015. More on that here.
Not to be missed is a best time by Mary-Sophie Harvey, who went 2:08.78 to finish second. She’s well under the auto qualifying standard for Worlds. After four fourth-place finishes at the Paris Olympics, her easy speed early in the season indicates she may be a medal contender in Singapore.
Ashley McMillan also got under the auto standard in 2:12.08, but she missed out on the spot. Sienna Angove finished fourth in 2:13.74.
Men’s 200 individual medley
Two Canadians are headed to the World Championships for Canada. Finlay Knox won the event in 1:57.25, both he and Tristan Jankovics getting well under the A standard for worlds. Knox won his first 200 IM race since the Paris Olympics, at which he finished eighth. Jankovics, who swam the 400 IM in Paris, dropped a full second off his best time to go 1:58.01. He entered with a best time of 1:59.05, which happens to be the Worlds auto qualification standard.
The event is the second for the men, along with the 100 fly, in which two men qualified for Worlds automatically.
Lorne Wigginton was third in 2:00.59, followed by Collyn Gagne’s 2:01.44.
Paraswimming
Jordan Tucker lowered her S5 record in the women’s 50 butterfly by going 53.00, an event won by S7 swimmer Danielle Dorris.
For the second time on Monday, Sebastian Massabie lowered his S5 50 fly mark. He went 36.59 in the morning prelims, then blasted it away to 35.84 in the night session.
Reid Maxwell lowered his Canadian S8 record in the 100 free by winning in 59.59. It’s a massive drop, his first time under a minute. Aurelie Rivard won the women’s 100 free in 1:02.06, the S10 swimmer earlier this week recusing herself from the Worlds selection process to concentrate on her law school studies.