After writing Olympic history in the pool this summer, Josh Liendo has once again been named Swimming Canada’s Male Swimmer of the Year – Olympic Program.
The 22-year-old from Toronto earned a silver medal and Ilya Kharun took bronze in the 100-metre butterfly at the Paris 2024 Games. It was the first time two Canadian men stood on the podium together in an Olympic swimming event. It also was the first Olympic swimming medal for a Black Canadian.
Add in the gold medal Summer McIntosh won in the 200-m individual medley earlier in the evening and it was the first three-medal night ever for Canadian Olympic swimming.
“I do think about it,” said Liendo, who secured his medal in a Canadian record time of 49.99 seconds. “In the moment it was awesome having me and Ilya on the podium.
“From the standpoint of me and Ilya, and me being the first Black Canadian (swimmer) to medal at an Olympics, I feel like it is just motivation for the rest of the country and people coming up. Hopefully we can inspire the next generation, keep this momentum moving forward in the sport in Canada. I feel like swimming has a lot of room to grow and should be a bigger sport in the country.”
Competing at his second Olympics, Liendo was also a fingertip away from the podium in the 50-m freestyle, finishing fourth, just .02 behind France’s Florent Manaudou.
The silver medal was a highlight, but Liendo’s experience in the 50 free “was a pretty cool moment.”
Liendo was ninth in the preliminaries and only advanced to the final when France’s Maxime Grousset scratched. He and his coaches discussed declining the final to concentrate on the 100 butterfly.
Liendo decided to race and managed to stay focused while a raucous crowd at the Paris La Défense Arena cheered for Manaudou, who had won the race at the 2012 Games.
“It always sucks to be fourth, but I was grateful to be in the mix and so close,” said Liendo. “I learned a lot about myself, not to give up in that kind of scenario.
“I went through with it, and it paid off. It was a wild one. The crowd was nuts for Manaudou.”
Liendo was also was a member of both the men’s and mixed 4×100-m medley relays that placed fifth and the men’s 4×100-m freestyle relay that was sixth.
Prior to the Olympics, Liendo set a Canadian record of 21.48 seconds in the 50 free at the 2024 Olympic & Paralympic Swimming Trials, presented by Bell.
While winning his first Olympic medal is a major milestone, Liendo is proud of his accomplishments outside the pool. He performed in Paris despite battling an illness.
“It’s an Olympics, it’s not going to be perfect,” Liendo said. “I ended up getting sick right at the beginning of the meet, but a bunch of people in Paris were sick. The way I handled myself, I just kind of kept going.”
Liendo also felt comfortable taking on more of a leadership role after being named a team co-captain.
“I feel like I’ve accepted that role a little more as I’ve gotten into it,” he said. “Before, I feel like I was just trying to find my place. I feel like I’ve embraced that role a bit more. I’ve learned a lot and been a sponge to information.
“I understand there’s still stuff I have to learn but it’s a testament to how much I’ve learned and how I keep applying that to getting better.”
His Olympic performance helped grow Liendo’s confidence.
“I feel like I was the one giving advice more than asking,” he said. “I feel like it came natural to me. “If anyone has questions on competing, how to get ready, taper, I’d chime in. Even on the team now in Florida, kids are asking me about technique, taper.”
Liendo previously received the Male Swimmer of the Year award in 2023 and 2022 after winning medals at both the world championships and Commonwealth Games. He’s the first to win it three times in a row since Ryan Cochrane’s run of eight awards from 2008 to 2015. Liendo also was the Male Junior Swimmer of the Year in 2019 and 2021.
“It’s always an honour to be recognized,” said Liendo, who swims at the University of Florida with coach Anthony Nesty after training under coach Ryan Mallette at the High Performance Centre –Ontario. “I know there’s a lot of good athletes who can be in the mix. I never take it for granted.
“Even though the rest of the country is getting better I still want to work and be at that top level. It just shows that the work I’m putting in is still helping me improve. I appreciate every time I get this.”
Media contact:
Nathan White
Associate Director, Communications
NWhite@swimming.ca
+1 (613) 866-7946