{"id":616697,"date":"2025-07-16T00:02:18","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T07:02:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=616697"},"modified":"2025-07-16T06:46:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T13:46:16","slug":"world-champs-profile-josh-liendo-again-flying-toward-podium-in-singapore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/world-champs-profile-josh-liendo-again-flying-toward-podium-in-singapore\/","title":{"rendered":"World Champs Profile: Josh Liendo Again Flying Toward Podium in Singapore"},"content":{"rendered":"

World Champs Profile: Josh Liendo Again Flying Toward Podium in Singapore<\/strong><\/p>\n

Leading into the start of the World Championships later this month, Swimming World will publish a handful of short profiles on top contenders for the podium in Singapore. Our next entry in this series features Canadian and University of Florida star Josh Liendo, who will try to follow up on a stellar effort at last summer\u2019s Olympic Games.<\/p>\n

Josh Liendo<\/strong>
\nCanada<\/strong>
\nEvents:<\/strong> 50 Freestyle\/100 Butterfly<\/p>\n

The Road to Singapore<\/h3>\n

Following another sensational college season at Florida, Liendo qualified for the World Championships in a pair of events \u2013 the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly. While Liendo sits 24th<\/sup> in the world rankings in the 50 free (21.88), he owns a personal best of 21.48 from last year. In the 100 fly, where he\u2019s fourth in the world at 50.46, Liendo owns a career best of 49.99.<\/p>\n

There was a hiccup at the Canadian Trials, as Liendo did not qualify for Singapore in the 100 freestyle. The 22-year-old was a surprise third place in the event, going 48.62 to place behind Ruslan Gaziev (48.37) and Antoine Sauve (48.42). Liendo\u2019s personal best is 47.55.<\/p>\n

Top Career Achievement<\/h3>\n

Liendo put together the finest performance of his career in the final of the 100 butterfly at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Clocking 49.99, Liendo earned the silver medal and pushed gold medalist Kristof Milak of Hungary to the wall, with Milak prevailing in 49.90. Liendo was joined on the podium by countryman Ilya Kharun, who was the bronze medalist.<\/p>\n

Previous World Champs Hardware<\/h3>\n

Liendo has collected four career medals at the World Championships, including three for his individual work. He was the silver medalist in the 100 butterfly at the 2023 Worlds, and won bronze in the same event a year earlier. In the 100 freestyle, Liendo was the bronze medalist in the 100 freestyle.<\/p>\n

Stat Fact<\/h3>\n

When Liendo captured the silver medal in the 100 fly at last summer\u2019s Olympics, he joined an exclusive club. Behind a swim of 49.99, Liendo became one of just five men in history to crack the 50-second barrier in the event, joining Caeleb Dressel, Kristof Milak, Michael Phelps and Milorad Cavic.<\/p>\n

World Champs Profile<\/strong><\/p>\n