Photos (Courtesy Swimming Canada/Zsombor Csoma): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/u1wauwdpsp7pgu9addxlu/AAr0A_cbIsutla-j8fIWpbI?rlkey=u8mj7ydm6q9z1oy6prx33f24i&dl=0
Masse becomes all-time leader as Canada captures two more medals
BUDAPEST, Hungary – Kylie Masse took over Canada’s all-time lead in world championships medals Friday at the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) in Budapest, Hungary.
The 28-year-old from LaSalle, Ont., earned bronze in the women’s 50-m backstroke, passing Maggie Mac Neil to become the first Canadian with 20 career medals at world championships. It’s the second medal of the meet for Masse, who contributed to 4×50 mixed medley silver, and her 11th world short-course medal overall, to go with nine from world long-course championships. She has earned at least one medal at 15 consecutive major international championships and Games.
“It’s amazing to be able to reflect on my career thus far and to see those accolades with my name is something that I never would have imagined. Many of those medals were a part of relay teams so I feel very fortunate that I have such great teammates and have been given opportunities to race on relays in order to continue that count,” said the five-time Olympic medallist.
Masse’s time of 25.78 was a tenth faster than teammate Ingrid Wilm, who finished fourth. Regan Smith went 25.23 to shave two hundredths off Mac Neil’s two-year-old world record, while her American teammate Katharine Berkoff took second in 25.61.
Masse took several weeks off training after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and hadn’t been training as much as usual in recent weeks. She said she had “no expectations” heading into Budapest.
“I have been training very differently compared to what I’m used to,” Masse said. “I had a bit of a different approach leading into these championships and was trying to enjoy the process a little bit more. So to be able to come out with a medal individually means the world.”
Earlier in Friday evening’s session, the mixed 4×50-metre freestyle relay team of Ilya Kharun, Yuri Kisil, Ingrid Wilm and Mary-Sophie Harvey combined for a time of 1:28.60 to claim silver. The close race saw Italy win by just a tenth of a second, while Poland was two tenths behind Canada in third.
Canada’s time was just .05 off the national record-setting gold medal from the Abu Dhabi 2021 edition of these championships. Kisil, who trains with Dave Johnson at Calgary’s Cascade Swim Club, was also part of that Abu Dhabi gold.
“It’s always a treat to do it with a new, different kind of group and everyone’s a friend of mine,” said the 29-year-old three-time Olympian. “It’s always a blast. Everyone brings kind of new, different vibes to the team, and the vibes are really fun, really good.”
Wilm was in the water for the 50-m backstroke final just minutes after being on the podium for her fourth medal of the championships. Her time of 25.88 was just off the personal best 25.81 she set in her semifinal Thursday.
With 11 medals (3G-3S-5B), Canada sits second behind only Team USA’s 26 (13-8-5) at the halfway mark of the six-day world short-course championships.
In other swims Friday evening, Harvey just missed a medal in the 100-m individual medal, finishing fourth in 57.04.
The 25-year-old Trois-Rivieres, Que., native, who trains with Greg Arkhurst at Montreal’s CAMO club, lowered her Commonwealth record for the second time in as many days after going 57.19 in her semifinal Thursday. Sydney Pickrem was eighth in 59.07.
Kharun finished 10th in the men’s 100-m butterfly with a time of 49.39 in his semifinal, missing the final by a tenth of a second.
A pair of breaststrokers got their first ever individual world championship swims in Friday morning’s preliminary heats.
Alexanne Lepage, part of the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay bronze Tuesday, finished tied for 13th in the 200 breaststroke heats with a personal best 2:21.79.
“It was fun to get up and race and cool to race all those girls,” said the 19-year-old, who was in a heat with American superstar Kate Douglass. “It’s been super fun to watch (Canada’s success so far). Everyone’s been having great swims and it’s really cool to be able to be a part of the team and be inspired by them.”
Oliver Dawson followed up with a big national age group record in the men’s 200 breast. Dawson’s time of 2:07.61 chopped nearly five seconds off his previous mark of 2:12.42 to finish 21st.
“It’s not what I expected to go but just the preparation allowed me to do 2:07, which is what I was aiming for so I’m happy with that,” said the 16-year-old, who trains with his father Alex at the Grand Prairie (Alta.) Piranhas.
Dawson’s big drop is even more impressive given it was a morning swim out in Lane 9 with no one beside him in Lane 8.
“It was harder because I was by myself with nobody beside me so I had to work harder, but in the end it all panned out,” said Dawson, who called the long wait for his first event “nerve-wracking.
“I just wanted to do it and get it done,” he said.
CBC Gem and https://www.cbc.ca/sports will stream with international commentators Saturday and Sunday beginning at 3 a.m. ET for heats and 11:30 a.m. for finals.
CBC TV will feature a highlight show Saturday from 4-6 p.m. ET with top performances from the first five days of competition voiced by play-by-play commentator Rob Snoek alongside Rio 2016 Olympic swimming medalist Brittany MacLean as analyst. The following Saturday, Dec. 21., will feature Day 6 highlights from 1-2 p.m. ET.
Swimming Canada and @cbcolympics will also be posting content across their digital platforms, including a live post-finals show on CBC Sports YouTube hosted by MacLean and on-site reporter Devin Heroux.
Full results: https://www.omegatiming.com/2024/world-aquatics-swimming-championships-25m-live-results