Canada’s Josh Liendo wins silver, sets Canadian record in men’s 100m butterfly | CBC Sports
[ad_1]
Canadian swimmer Josh Liendo won a silver medal and set a new Canadian record at the World Aquatics Championships on Saturday in Fukuoka, Japan.
The 20-year-old Markham, Ont., native finished second in the 100-metre butterfly final in a time of 50.34 seconds.
Maxime Grousset, of France, took gold in 50.14, while American Dare Rose claimed bronze in 50.46. The 24-year-old Grousset took the early lead and held on for the victory.
Liendo won bronze at last year’s worlds and is the reigning Commonwealth Games champion in the distance.
WATCH | Liendo claims silver in men’s 100m butterfly:
Josh Liendo of Toronto won a world championships silver medal in the 100 metre butterfly race with a time of 50.34, also setting a new Canadian record.
Kylie Masse, of LaSalle, Ont., finished fifth in the women’s 200m backstroke final.
Australia’s Kaylee McKeown won gold in 2:03.85, while American Reagan Smith (2:04.94) and China’s Peng Xuwei (2:06.74) took silver and bronze, respectively.
Masse, who finished in 2:07.52, won silver in the event at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The 27-year-old fell just short of the 100m backstroke podium in Fukuoka with a fourth-place finish in the final on Day 3.
McKeown’s victory gave her a sweep of all three backstroke events here, after her earlier wins in the 50 and 100. She became the first swimmer ever to sweep all three backstrokes at the worlds.
McKeown took the lead at the final turn and steamed home in 2:03.85. She joined Leon Marchand of France and Qin Haiyang of China as swimmers who swept all three events in the same discipline at these worlds.
In the mixed 100 freestyle relay, Canada’s Maggie Mac Neil, Mary-Sophie Harvey, Ruslan Gaziev and Liendo were fourth in 3:23.82.
Australia stood atop the medal podium with a world record clocking of 3:18.83, followed by the United States (3:20.82) and Great Britain (European record 3:21.68).
Ledecky 1st to win 6 straight world titles in an event
Katie Ledecky added to her legacy as the greatest female swimmer in history when she won the 800 freestyle, establishing two more notable records with the triumph.
The victory by the 26-year-old American made her the first swimmer ever to win the same event six times at the world championships and also marked her 16th individual world title, breaking a tie with Michael Phelps for the most individual gold ever at the worlds.
Ledecky, who had the 30 top times ever in the 800 entering the race, led all the way, dominating her competitors and winning in a time of eight minutes 8.87 seconds.
The gold in the 800 was Ledecky’s second individual gold of these championships following her win in the 1,500 free on Tuesday. She also took silver in the 400 free here.
Li Bingjie of China claimed the silver in 8:13.31, with Ariarne Titmus of Australia took the bronze in 8:13.59.
Warm welcome for Ikee
Sarah Sjoestroem of Sweden continued her dominance with gold in the women’s 50 butterfly. The 29-year-old won in 24.77 and has now won the event five consecutive times at the worlds. The win brought Sjoestroem’s total iindividual medals at worlds to 20, matching Phelps.
Zhang Yufei of China, who took gold in the 100 fly here, claimed the silver in 25.05, while American Gretchen Walsh got the bronze in 25.46.
Fan favourite Rikako Ikee of Japan finished seventh (25.78), but was greeted warmly by the home crowd. The 23-year-old Ikee won six gold at the 2018 Asian Games, but was diagnosed with leukemia in February of 2019. Her comeback continues to resonate with both the Japanese public and her fellow competitors.
Elsewhere, Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania tied the world record of 29.30 in her semifinal in the women’s 50 breaststroke.
Live coverage of the World Aquatics Championships continues on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.
[ad_2]
