2024 Canadian Olympic & Paralympic Trials: Day 1 Prelims Live Recap

2024 CANADIAN OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC TRIALS

• May 13-19, 2024
• Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre – Toronto, Ontario
• LCM (50 meters)
• Meet Central
• How To Watch
• Swimming Canada Olympic Selection Criteria
• Psych Sheets (Updated 05/10)
• Live Results

Day 1 Prelims Heat Sheet

Stream courtesy of CBC

Day 1 Schedule

• Men’s Open 400 Free
• Women’s Open 400 Free
• Women’s Para 50 Fly (S5-S7)
• Men’s Para 50 Fly (S5-S7)
• Women’s Para 100 Fly (S8-S10, S12-S14)
• Men’s Para 100 Fly (S8-S14)
• Women’s Open 100 Fly
• Men’s Open 100 Breast

Bonjour and Good Morning, swim fans. The first session of the 2024 Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Trials is about to get underway.

The highly anticipated meet has been accumulating drama and intrigue left and right, some of which comes from the pool’s location. The meet was originally set to be hosted at the Olympic Park in Montreal (the site of the 1976 Olympics) but was moved just over a month ago due to safety concerns as a fire erupted around the Olympic Stadium tower in March. The meet was moved about 300 miles west to the Toronto Pan Am Sports Center, a facility that hosted both the 2016 and 2020 Olympic trials.

Diving into the competition (forgive the pun), the majority of questions have been focused on superstar and World Record holder 17-year-old Summer McIntosh. Her planned schedule of events has been highly anticipated as the teenager prepares for her second Olympic Games after achieving a surprising 4th in Tokyo. On the Psych Sheets, McIntosh appears in seven events: the 400 free, 200 free, 100 back, 400 IM, 100 free, 200 fly, and 200 IM, but it appears that one of her sponsors revealed that she may opt out of the 100 and 200 frees. Regardless of what she ultimately swims later on in the week, all attention this morning is focused on her first event, the 400 free.

The Men’s 400-meter free is the first event on the docket, so they’ll get the first crack at qualifying for Paris. No swimmer is entered with a time faster than 3:49 and with only two under 3:50, and with the Olympic Qualifying Time (OQT) sitting at 3:46.78, it seems unlikely that Canada will have a representative in the event, but that doesn’t mean that top seeds Lorne Wigginton (3:49.05) and Alexander Axon (3:49.33) aren’t going to give it their all.

It’s a different story in the Women’s 400 as there are two swimmers with entry times under the OQT of 4:07.90. Leading the way and hoping that the change in venue will spell good fortune is the aforementioned McIntosh. The youngster is entered with a time of 3:56.08, a result that she swam in this very pool 13 months ago and stood as the World Record until Ariarne Titmus broke it at the 2023 World Championships. Looking to nab a ticket to Paris behind McIntosh is Ella Jansen, who enters as the #2 seed with her entry time of 4:07.18.

Perhaps flying a little under the radar (again, apologies for the pun) is Maggie MacNeil. The only Canadian to win a Gold medal in Tokyo, the defending Olympic champion in the 100 fly sits atop the entries with a time of 56.54. After walking away from Tokyo with a medal of each color, the Canadian took some time away from long-course competition but has had a strong return, winning the silver in Fukuoka and the gold at the 2023 Pan-Am Games. Looking to repeat her 2020 Olympic semi-final appearance is Katerine Savard. Entered as the #2 seed, the veteran and three-time Olympian will have to hold off some stiff competition as Mary-Sophie Harvey, Kamryn Cannings, and Rebecca Smith will all be gunning for that spot.

The morning wraps up with the Men’s 100 breast. Like the 400 free, this event is a weakness for Canadian men on the international stage. No swimmer is entered within a second of the OCT, and the fastest Canadian man this season, James Dergousoff, is not on the field. The battle for the top spot in the finals will likely be between top seed Finlay Knox and #2 seed Gabe Mastromatteo. Knox, who has recently set his PB and entry off 1:00.91 at April’s Canadian Open, is coming in with great form after winning a gold medal at the 2024 World Champs. Mastromatteo, who took on the breaststroke duty for the Canadian Medley relay in Tokyo, will look to repeat that feat and get back to his personal best of 1:00.11.

MEN’S 400 Freestyle– Prelims

• World Record: 3:40.07– Paul Biedermann, GER (2009)
• Canadian Record: 3:43.46 – Ryan Cochrane (2014)
• 2021 Champion: Peter Brothers – 3:49.35
• OLY Qualifying/Consideration Standards: 3:46.78/3:47.91

Top 10

1. Lorne Wigginton (HPCON) – 3:50.97
2. Eric Brown (PCSC) – 3:53.03
3. Ethan Ekk (UNCAN) – 3:53.35
4. Timothe Barbeau (NN) – 3:55.43
5. Alexander Axon (MAC) – 3:55.66
6. Jordi Vilchex (BTSC) – 3:55.75
7. Jeremy Bagshaw (ISC) – 3:56.04
8. Nathan Versluys (UCSC) – 3:56.77
9. Sebastian Paulins (BRANT) – 3:57.54
10. Zachary Paris (PCSC) – 3:58.43

Up through the first three heats of racing, the early leader was Club Aquatique Montreal swimmer Simon Fonseca. He recorded a time of 3:58.84, dipping under 4:00 for the first time and slashing over three seconds off his seed time of 4:02.25. While unlikely to make the Olympic team, Fonseca could be throwing his name in the ring for Junior Pan-Pacs as the standard for entry is 3:59.74.

The fourth heat saw the lead change as Edouard Duffy, Fonseca’s teammate, posted a new top time of 3:58.79. Duffy, who entered with a time of 4:00.55 also joined the sub- 4:00 club.

The penultimate heat and first of the circle-seeded heats was a battle of the generations as 32-year-old Jeremy Bagshaw dueled with the likes of 20-year-old Alexander Axon and 15-year-old Laon Kim. Bagshaw had a great start and kept up the pace over the opening lengths of the 400 but was ultimately passed in the closing legs by both Axon and Jordi Vilchez. Axon’s time of 3:55.66 was well off his entry time of 3:49.33, but he easily should make the A-Final tonight. Vilchez and Bagshaw were just behind at 3:55.75 and 3:56.04, with Kim finishing 4th in 3:59.02.

The final heat was the Lorne Wigginton show. The Michigan commit and 2024 World Champs finalist in the 400 IM was out fast and never looked back. Holding a strong lead, the HPC-Toronto swimmer easily took top billing for tonight’s A-final as he touched the wall in 3:50.97, a little off his PB of 3:49.05, but right on track with his 3:50.91 from the Doha. There was a tight race behind Wigginton between Eric Brown and Ethan Ekk, who dueled down the last 50, with Brown outtouching Ekk by .32 with a time of 3:53.03.

Women’s 400 Freestyle– Prelims

• World Record: 3:55.38 – Ariarne Titmus, AUS (2023)
• Canadian Record: 3:56.08 – Summer McIntosh (2023)
• 2021 Champion: Alyson Ackman – 4:10.92
• OLY Qualifying/Consideration Standards: 4:07.90/4:09.14

Top 10

1.  Summer McIntosh (UNCAN) – 4:09.83
2.  Kathryn Hazle (UNCAN) – 4:12.44
3.  Mabel Zavaros (MAC) – 4:12.87
4.  Julie Brousseau (NKB) – 4:13.76
5.  Julia Strojnowska (LOSC) – 4:14.24
6.  Emma O’Croinin (HPCVN) – 4:14.27
7.  Ella Cosgrove (DSC) – 4:14.79
8.  Megan Willar (PCSC) – 4:15.79
9.  Ella Jansen (HPCON) – 4:15.83
10.  Maxine Clark (UCSC) – 4:17.96

Your early leader in the 400 free was Anna Dumont-Belanger, who recorded a time of 4:23.19 out of the 4th heat. Dumont-Belanger took the win out of lane 1, dropping over one second from her seed time of 4:24.54. It was a tight finish as Lydia Hart was just behind at 4:23.35

The first of the circle-seeded heat was a tight affair but, it was Kathryn Hazle who managed to nab the win, pulling away from her competition to touch the wall in the fastest time of the morning so far of 4:12.44, a new personal best and drop of over two seconds from her seed time.  The #2 seed overall, Ella Jansen, struggled in the heat and faded, finishing in a time of 4:15.83, well off her entry time of 4:07.18.

Heat six was naturally the highly anticipated start to Summer McIntosh‘s Olympic Trials. It was obvious from the get-go that the fireworks of last year’s World Championship trials were not to be repeated. McIntosh was out in 58.67 at the 100 and was 2:02.07 at the 200, whereas in Fukuoka, it was 57.14 and 1:57.47.  The 4th place finisher in this event from the 2021 Olympics didn’t actually swim this event at the 2021 Trials but easily took over the top time of the morning in a relaxed time of 4:09.83, well off her Candian record of 3:56.08. Florida Gator Mabel Zavaros took 2nd behind McIntosh in a time of 4:12.87.

WOMEN’S 100 Butterfly– Prelims

• World Record: 55.48 – Sarah Sjostrom, SWE (2016)
• Canadian Record: 55.59 – Maggie MacNeil (2021)
• 2021 Champion: Maggie MacNeil – 56.19
• OLY Qualifying/Consideration Standards: 57.92/58.21

Top 10

1.  Maggie MacNeil (LAC) – 56.54
2.  Mary-Sophie Harvey (CAMO) – 58.41
3.  Katerine Savard (CNQ)/Rebecca Smith (CASC) – 58.65
5.  Kylie Masse (TSC) – 58.91
6.  Danielle Haus (RAPID/HPCVN) – 59.61
7.  Kamryn Cannings (UCSC) – 59.62
8.  Ashlyn Masey (PCSC) – 1:00.33
9.  Leilani Fack (LOSC) – 1:00.34
10.  Brooklyn Douthwright (CNBO) – 1:00.54

The fastest time through heat 4 belonged to Madison Kryger who touched the wall in a time of 1:01.96, dropping close to half a second off her seed time of 1:02.44. Kryger’s time, however, would not last long, as heat 5’s Mary-Sophie Harvey threw down a very impressive prelims swim of 58.41. Out in 27.83, the Canadian Olympian easily led the field and posted the only time sub-1:00 so far.

Heat 6 was a much tighter affair, literally. as Katerine Savard tied with Rebecca Smith at 58.65. Savard was out a little faster at the 50, hitting the wall in 26.76 compared to Smith’s 26.98. Joining the pair under the one-minute mark was Danielle Haus, who finished about a second behind at 59.61.

Showing up and taking over the top spot from Harvey was 2021 Tokyo gold medalist Maggie MacNeil. MacNeil certainly did not hold much back this morning, hitting the wall in 56.54, her fastest time since her 2023 World Champs silver medal performance of 56.45. The Michigan and LSU swimmer was out in 26.91 and came back in 29.63, a very different race than her swim in Fukuoka, where she was 26.15/30.30. Taking 2nd in the heat behind MacNeil was fellow Tokyo medalist Kylie Masse. A former world record holder in the 100 back, Masse cruised to the wall in 58.91, well under her seed time of 59.44, and appears to be a new personal best.

MEN’S 100 Breaststroke– Prelims

• World Record: 56.88 – Adam Peaty, GBR (2019)
• Canadian Record: 59.85 – Scott Dickens (2012)
• 2021 Champion: Gabe Mastromatteo – 1:00.75
• OLY Qualifying/Consideration Standards: 59.49/59.79

Top 10

1.  Finlay Knox (SCAR/HPCVN) – 1:00.97
2.  Gabe Mastromatteo (KSS) – 1:01.26
3.  Apollo Hess (HPCON) – 1:01.39
4.  Brayden Taivassalo (MAC) – 1:01.49
5.  Oliver Dawson (GPP) – 1:01.52
6.  Justice Migneault (HPCVN) – 1:02.12
7.  Justin Lisoway (UNCAN) – 1:02.89
8.  Luca Chiandussi (WEST) – 1:02.90
9.  Christophe Raymond (MEGO) – 1:03.51
10.  Brodie Khajuria (AJAX) – 1:03.52

The men’s 100-breast final is certainly shaping up to be a tight affair. The first of the circle-seeded heat was a three-way duel between Brayden Taivassalo, Apollo Hess, and Oliver Dawson. Taivassalo, who just finished up his first year at Texas, closed fast on Hess, who was out in a speedy 27.95 but didn’t have enough to take the win, finishing just .1 behind 1:01.39 to 1:01.49. Hess entered with a seed time of 1:01.72, took over the top time of the day with two heats remaining. Dawson, who is just 16, dropped over a full second from his seed time to hit the wall in 1:03.17.

The 9th heat saw 2021 Olympian Gabe Mastromatteo take the win in a time of 1:01.26; while a little off his entry time of 1:00.96 and more than a second off his PB of 1:00.11, the swim takes over the top time of the morning with only one heat remaining.

2024 Worlds Gold medalist in the 200 IM, Finlay Knox, posted a speedy time of 1:00.97 in the last heat of the session.  Just .06 of his entry and PB of 1:00.91, the HPCVN swimmer takes over from Mastromatteo, the top spot for tonight’s final. While it seems unlikely that any swimmer will make the event individually, as both the OQT and OCT are faster than the National Record, the breaststroke duties in the Men’s Medley relay and perhaps in the Mixed Medley Relay are up for grabs tonight.