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Hamilton Spectator
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
McIntosh sets Canadian record in 800M freestyle
VICTORIA - Two Canadian Olympic medallists went head-to-head in a nail-biting 100-metre butterfly race, while Summer McIntosh of Toronto set a Canadian record in the 800-metre freestyle on Sunday at the Bell Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria. Ilya Kharun of Montreal and Josh Liendo of Toronto squared off in the same race that saw them share a podium at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Kharun won in a personal best time of 50.37 seconds, touching the wall .09 ahead of Liendo. Both were well under the AQUA A qualifying time of 51.77 for this summer's world championships in Singapore. The 20-year-old Kharun was happy with the win but sees room for improvement. 'There's definitely some tweaks I can improve on,' said Kharun. 'I know it's not perfect yet. There's some things we've got to work on.' Liendo took silver in Paris, and Kharun the bronze. It was the first time two Canadian men stood on the Olympic podium together and first double podium for Swimming Canada since 1976 (Cheryl Gibson, Becky Smith — silver and bronze 400IM). McIntosh had a sellout crowd on its feet at Saanich Commonwealth Place cheering as she swam the 800 metres in 8:05.07. That shaved almost five seconds off her own Canadian record and was the third-fastest time ever, 0.95 of a second off the world record American legend Katie Ledecky set in May. 'I'm always hoping to break records and push the boundaries of sport,' said the 18-year-old, who set a world record in the 400-metre freestyle on Saturday's opening night. 'I'm always trying to be faster and faster. That just gives me more fuel to the fire.' Para swimmer Nicholas Bennett won his second event of the trials. The S14 swimmer with the Red Deer Catalina Swim Club won the men's 200-m multi-class freestyle event in 1:54.44. He earned a silver medal in the same race at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. 'It was really good,' said the 21-year-old from nearby Parksville, B.C., who won the men's 100-m multi-class breaststroke Saturday. 'We're right where we want to be.' Kylie Masse of Lasalle, Ont., also picked up her second victory of the meet by winning the 50-m backstroke in 27.24 seconds. Ingrid Wilm of the High Performance Centre-Vancouver celebrated her 27th birthday by finishing second in 27.58. Both swimmers were under the AQUA A qualifying time of 28.22. 'I've been enjoying doing it and putting a little more focus on it this year,' Masse said about the sprint race, in which she was the 2022 world champion. 'Every little detail counts, trying to execute it perfectly. It's really fast and really hard.' Earning a spot on the world championships team helped Wilm shake off the disappointment of finishing third in the 100-back Saturday night. That meant she didn't qualify for the event for the upcoming world championships after reaching the finals at the Paris Olympics. 'I was frustrated after (Saturday) night,' said the Calgary native. 'It's to my chagrin we have such a deep field here in Canada. I relied a lot on my teammates and my coaching staff and it just once again showed me just how many people have my back.' It was a bittersweet victory for Blake Tierney in the men's 50-m backstroke. The Saskatoon native who trains at the High Performance Centre-Vancouver won the race in personal best time of 25.23 seconds. That was over the AQUA A qualifying time of 25.11 but under Swimming Canada's secondary standard of 25.36. 'A lot of work needs to be done,' said Tierney, who has been dealing with an ankle issue. 'I couldn't do a lot of kicking, so that kind of messed with the confidence. I'm just doing the best I can. I'm really thankful I made the team.' Two-time Olympian Mary-Sophie Harvey of Trois-Rivières, Que., also won her second race of the meet but wasn't happy with her time. Harvey, who trains with Montreal's CAMO club, won the 100-m butterfly in 58.37 seconds, over the AQUA A qualifying time of 58.33 but under Swimming Canada's secondary time of 59.91. 'I'm going to be honest,' said Harvey, who won the 200 breaststroke Saturday. 'It was good practice for my individual medley.' Montreal's Eric Brown won the 1,500-m freestyle in 15:17.54. That was over both the AQUA A time of 15:01.89 and the Swimming Canada secondary standard of 15:10.91. In other Para swimming events, Reid Maxwell, an S8 Para swimmer from the Edmonton Keyano Swim Club, won the multi-class 400-m freestyle in 4:26.66. It was the same event in which the 17-year-old won a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in Canadian record time. 'It was a little slower than I wanted but I can't complain,' said Maxwell. 'I gave it everything I had.' Mary Jibb, an S9 swimmer from the Pacific Sea Wolves won the multi-class 400-m freestyle in 4:52.69. Emma Van Dyk, an S14 swimmer from the Brock Niagara Aquatics, was first in the women's 200-m multi-class freestyle in 2:23.78. Aly van Wyck-Smart, an S3 swimmer from Whitby Swimming, finished second in a Canadian record time of 4:48.05. During the morning heats S4 swimmer Jordan Tucker of Royal City Aquatics set a Canadian record of 4:03.87 in the S4 category. 'I'm blown away,' said Tucker. 'I'm very surprised but very hopeful I can keep breaking records.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Winnipeg Free Press
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
McIntosh sets Canadian record in 800M freestyle
VICTORIA – Two Canadian Olympic medallists went head-to-head in a nail-biting 100-metre butterfly race, while Summer McIntosh of Toronto set a Canadian record in the 800-metre freestyle on Sunday at the Bell Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria. Ilya Kharun of Montreal and Josh Liendo of Toronto squared off in the same race that saw them share a podium at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Kharun won in a personal best time of 50.37 seconds, touching the wall .09 ahead of Liendo. Both were well under the AQUA A qualifying time of 51.77 for this summer's world championships in Singapore. The 20-year-old Kharun was happy with the win but sees room for improvement. 'There's definitely some tweaks I can improve on,' said Kharun. 'I know it's not perfect yet. There's some things we've got to work on.' Liendo took silver in Paris, and Kharun the bronze. It was the first time two Canadian men stood on the Olympic podium together and first double podium for Swimming Canada since 1976 (Cheryl Gibson, Becky Smith — silver and bronze 400IM). McIntosh had a sellout crowd on its feet at Saanich Commonwealth Place cheering as she swam the 800 metres in 8:05.07. That shaved almost five seconds off her own Canadian record and was the third-fastest time ever, 0.95 of a second off the world record American legend Katie Ledecky set in May. 'I'm always hoping to break records and push the boundaries of sport,' said the 18-year-old, who set a world record in the 400-metre freestyle on Saturday's opening night. 'I'm always trying to be faster and faster. That just gives me more fuel to the fire.' Para swimmer Nicholas Bennett won his second event of the trials. The S14 swimmer with the Red Deer Catalina Swim Club won the men's 200-m multi-class freestyle event in 1:54.44. He earned a silver medal in the same race at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. 'It was really good,' said the 21-year-old from nearby Parksville, B.C., who won the men's 100-m multi-class breaststroke Saturday. 'We're right where we want to be.' Kylie Masse of Lasalle, Ont., also picked up her second victory of the meet by winning the 50-m backstroke in 27.24 seconds. Ingrid Wilm of the High Performance Centre-Vancouver celebrated her 27th birthday by finishing second in 27.58. Both swimmers were under the AQUA A qualifying time of 28.22. 'I've been enjoying doing it and putting a little more focus on it this year,' Masse said about the sprint race, in which she was the 2022 world champion. 'Every little detail counts, trying to execute it perfectly. It's really fast and really hard.' Earning a spot on the world championships team helped Wilm shake off the disappointment of finishing third in the 100-back Saturday night. That meant she didn't qualify for the event for the upcoming world championships after reaching the finals at the Paris Olympics. 'I was frustrated after (Saturday) night,' said the Calgary native. 'It's to my chagrin we have such a deep field here in Canada. I relied a lot on my teammates and my coaching staff and it just once again showed me just how many people have my back.' It was a bittersweet victory for Blake Tierney in the men's 50-m backstroke. The Saskatoon native who trains at the High Performance Centre-Vancouver won the race in personal best time of 25.23 seconds. That was over the AQUA A qualifying time of 25.11 but under Swimming Canada's secondary standard of 25.36. 'A lot of work needs to be done,' said Tierney, who has been dealing with an ankle issue. 'I couldn't do a lot of kicking, so that kind of messed with the confidence. I'm just doing the best I can. I'm really thankful I made the team.' Two-time Olympian Mary-Sophie Harvey of Trois-Rivières, Que., also won her second race of the meet but wasn't happy with her time. Harvey, who trains with Montreal's CAMO club, won the 100-m butterfly in 58.37 seconds, over the AQUA A qualifying time of 58.33 but under Swimming Canada's secondary time of 59.91. 'I'm going to be honest,' said Harvey, who won the 200 breaststroke Saturday. 'It was good practice for my individual medley.' Montreal's Eric Brown won the 1,500-m freestyle in 15:17.54. That was over both the AQUA A time of 15:01.89 and the Swimming Canada secondary standard of 15:10.91. In other Para swimming events, Reid Maxwell, an S8 Para swimmer from the Edmonton Keyano Swim Club, won the multi-class 400-m freestyle in 4:26.66. It was the same event in which the 17-year-old won a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in Canadian record time. 'It was a little slower than I wanted but I can't complain,' said Maxwell. 'I gave it everything I had.' Mary Jibb, an S9 swimmer from the Pacific Sea Wolves won the multi-class 400-m freestyle in 4:52.69. Emma Van Dyk, an S14 swimmer from the Brock Niagara Aquatics, was first in the women's 200-m multi-class freestyle in 2:23.78. Aly van Wyck-Smart, an S3 swimmer from Whitby Swimming, finished second in a Canadian record time of 4:48.05. During the morning heats S4 swimmer Jordan Tucker of Royal City Aquatics set a Canadian record of 4:03.87 in the S4 category. 'I'm blown away,' said Tucker. 'I'm very surprised but very hopeful I can keep breaking records.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
McIntosh sets world record in 400M freestyle at Canadian Swimming Trials
VICTORIA – Swimming star Summer McIntosh of Toronto set a world record in the 400-metre freestyle event on Saturday while competing in the Bell Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria. McIntosh posted a time of three minutes, 54.18 seconds at Commonwealth Place to establish the new mark. She trimmed 1.20 seconds off the 2023 record set by Australia's Ariarne Titmus. She beat the other swimmers in Victoria by more than 13 seconds. The Toronto teenager celebrated her fourth career long-course world record by slapping the water twice with her right hand then pumping her fist. It was an unusual show of emotion from the usually stoic 18-year-old. 'You can see my outburst of emotion because I was really not expecting that time,' said McIntosh. The 400 free was her first-ever world record when she swam 3:56.08 at the 2023 Trials, but Titmus lowered the mark to 3:55.38 at world championships later that year. McIntosh finished behind Titmus for silver at last summer's Paris Olympics to go with the gold medals she won in the 200 and 400 individual medley and 200 butterfly. 'Just seeing the time, after two years of really pushing my hardest every day and training, not seeing the results. It is just all that energy and anger, blood, sweat and tears built up. Having an amazing swim is just really satisfying,' McIntosh said. She also holds the 400 IM world record, plus the 400 free, 200 butterfly and 400 IM in the short course pool. 'I knew my training has been really strong these past couple of months,' said McIntosh, who won the Northern Star Award as Canada's Athlete of the Year for 2024. 'I knew I was able to do something special.' Ella Jansen of Burlington, Ont., finished second in 4:07.36, under the AQUA A qualifying time of 4:10.23, good enough to be selected to Team Canada for the World Aquatics Championships July 26-Aug. 3 in Singapore. It was also a big night for Calgary native Cole Pratt, who trains at the High Performance Centre in Vancouver. After battling through years of injuries the 22-year-old returned to the top of the podium, winning the men's 100-metre backstroke in 54.27. That was below the Swimming Canada secondary standard of 54.48, earning him selection to his first national team since 2021. 'That was a really long time coming,' said Pratt, who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Games but missed qualifying for Paris due to shoulder, neck and back injuries. 'Coming back to this was really hard. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to quit every day. I stuck with it and now I'm here.' Para swimmer Nicholas Bennett showed he had collected no dust after taking a break from the sport. The S14 swimmer with the Red Deer Catlina Swim Club won the men's 100-metre multi-class breaststroke in 1:05.13. 'I took a little bit of a mental health break, so we're just working on getting our strength back,' said the native of Parksville, B.C., who won three medals at the Paris Paralympics and was named co-flag-bearer for the closing ceremony. In other races, Kylie Masse of Lasalle, Ont., an Olympic medallist and world champion, cruised to victory in the women's 100-metre backstroke in 58.18 seconds. Finishing on her heels was Taylor Ruck of Kelowna, B.C., in 58.93. Masse was surprised with her time, which was faster than the 58.29 she swam at the Paris Olympics where she was fourth in the 100. 'I haven't really processed it but I'm really happy,' said Masse, who has a chance to continue her streak of winning at least one medal at every major international championships and Games since 2015. 'This year has been different, just taking a little bit of a step back but at the same time still putting in the work. I just feel like I have a different perspective on the sport. I'm really grateful to be here.' Ruck posted the third-best 100 back time of her career and her fastest in six years. 'I had no expectations,' said the three-time Olympian. 'I touched, looked at the time and was very excited and happy with what I saw.' Two-time Olympian Mary-Sophie Harvey of Trois-Rivières, Que., experienced a first when she won the women's 200-metre breaststroke in 2:23.40. Paris Olympian Sophie Angus, who trains at the High Performance Centre in Ontario, was second in 2:24.84. Both swimmers were under the AQUA A qualifying time of 2:25.91. For Harvey, who trains with CAMO in Montreal, it was her first victory at a trials since she started attending the events in 2012. 'It's kind of crazy,' she said. 'I never thought that would be the first one. I'm pretty pleased with how I am feeling in the water right now, considering I'm not fully rested for this week.' Meanwhile, Ethan Ekk earned selection to his first-ever senior national team, winning a close men's 400 free in 3:49.57. That was just 0.06 seconds ahead of Jordi Vilchez of the Barrie Trojans, and under the Swimming Canada secondary standard. 'That was a very hard race, I can't lie. That last 50 was a battle for all of us,' said Ekk, 18, a Tallahassee, Fla., native whose parents are from Vancouver. 'I was aware of them the whole race. It wasn't until that last 50 I just put my head down and didn't know where anybody was at. I kind of just closed my eyes and tried to move as fast as I could,' Ekk said. 'I heard the announcer say 'Ethan Ekk,' and I was like 'Yes!' I was so pumped and excited and I'm so happy to represent Canada.' Oliver Dawson of the Grande Prairie Piranhas won the men's 200-m breaststroke in 2:11.25. The 17-year-old set a national age group record and earned selection to the world championships team by being under the Swimming Canada secondary standard. In other Para swimming events, Ali Diehl, an S9 swimmer who trains with the Prince Albert Sharks, won the women's multiclass 100-m breaststroke in 1:24.44. Aly Van Wyck-Smart of Toronto, who trains with Whitby Swimming, took the women's 50-metres S2 event in 1:47.31. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2025.
CBC
19-02-2025
- Sport
- CBC
New Brunswick swim coach takes on Paralympic leadership role
Many New Brunswickers know the name Danielle Dorris — a three-time Paralympic swimmer and gold medallist. But few know who was on the sidelines coaching Dorris to those big wins. Ryan Allen, head coach of Club de Natation Bleu et Or in Moncton, has been a member of multiple national teams, including Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Now, he's stepping into the role of national coach lead for Swimming Canada's Paralympic program. "It's a testament to the people — the athletes, the parents, the families — that I've had the chance to be surrounded by … through my coaching career," said Allen. Allen grew up in Hopewell Cape, about 35 kilometres south of Moncton, and he and his wife Lindsey have lived in Riverview since 2016, Swimming Canada said in a news release. He has an education degree from Moncton's Crandall University, a kinesiology degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland, and an advanced coaching diploma and certificate of high performance coaching and technical leadership from the University of British Columbia. He is also working toward his high-performance coaching masters at UBC. Allen was Swimming Canada's Paralympic program coach of the year for 2023. His introduction to para swimming was in Grade 11, he said, when he was asked by his swimming coach if he would work with a young man with Down syndrome, Jonathan Henry. Allen said he owes so much to that experience because it challenged him in a new way. "I learned it my way, as a 16-year-old, and then, well, Jonathan has his way, and I had to kind of figure it out on the fly." During university, he decided to try coaching before moving back home to pursue an education degree and coach at Club de Natation Bleu et Or because of Henry. A year later, Allen said Swimming Canada approached him because Dorris's family was moving to Moncton, and they knew Allen was interested in working with para-athletes. Allen said the job posting for the national coach lead went out just before Christmas, and he mulled over applying with his close circle before deciding to go for it. "I had to at least put myself out there and obviously it was successful," he said. "And this was in a way for me to, you know, pursue a career in sport in some different way that allows me to still stay home, you know, have my family here with me without having to move elsewhere." Allen said his role will be guiding the technical and cultural direction of the national program, while also supporting coaches, athletes and staff across the country. He said the athletes he coaches have been incredibly supportive of his new role, including Danielle Dorris. "Just the other night, I got an email from an 11-year-old on our team, you know ... just a big congratulations on this role," Allen said.
