2025 Canadian Swimming Trials: Day 3 Finals Live Recap

2025 CANADIAN SWIMMING TRIALS

• Saturday, June 7 – Thursday, June 12, 2025
• Victoria, British Columbia
• Victoria Saanich Commonwealth Place
• LCM (50 meters)
• World Championship Selection Criteria
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Storylines To Watch
• Recaps
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2

The 2025 Canadian Swimming Trials continue this evening from Victoria, with just three events on the schedule: the 50 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, and 200 IM for both men and women. We’ll also see para events unfold, including the 50 butterfly (S5–S7) and the 100 freestyle (S3–S13). The session is expected to take less than two hours.

Stay up to date with live recaps below, and tune in to watch the action live courtesy of CBC Sports on YouTube, embedded below.

Watch Here:

Women’s 50 Freestyle – Finals

• World Record: 23.61 – Sarah Sjostrom, SWE (2023)
• Canadian Record: 24.26 – Taylor Ruck, (2018)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 24.86
• Canadian Secondary World Champs Standard: 25.11
• Canadian World Juniors Standard: 26.02

Podium:

GOLD – Penny Oleksiak (TSC) — 24.89
SILVER – Taylor Ruck (KAJ) — 24.96
BRONZE – Sarah Fournier (CNQ) — 25.17

The women’s 50 freestyle saw 2016 Olympic champion in the 100 free, Penny Oleksiak, post a personal best of 24.89 to win gold, her first time breaking the 25-second barrier.

Oleksiak, who trains under Jeff Julian, narrowly missed the World Aquatics ‘A’ cut of 24.86 for the World Championships in Singapore this summer. However, she comfortably cleared Swimming Canada’s secondary qualifying standard of 25.11, placing her in Priority 3 for selection. While her spot won’t be officially confirmed until the conclusion of the meet, she’s now in strong contention to be named to the Canadian Worlds roster.

After her swim, Oleksiak reflected on the result with a smile. “Yeah, I’m pretty happy with that. I’ve never really been a 50 freestyler, so I’m happy to be in the mix a little bit there.”

Looking ahead to the rest of her schedule, she added, “100 free tomorrow. That was kind of a warm up, so hopefully that’ll help that.”

Racing at Victoria’s Commonwealth Pool brought back some strong memories for the Canadian star. “Oh, pretty crazy. Pretty good memories from last time. It’s definitely way more packed, but it’s nice to be here.”

And with her first-ever sub-25 clocked, she was asked what’s next in the 50 free. “Hopefully racing in our worlds and being faster.”

The 24-year-old was closely followed by Taylor Ruck, coached by Herbie Behm, who notched a sub-25 swim of her own with a 24.96. Ruck, 25, who holds the Canadian record at 24.26, is already qualified for Worlds thanks to her runner-up finish in the 100 back earlier in the week.

Sarah Fournier rounded out the podium, clocking 25.17 to secure bronze. Her time was a five-hundredth improvement over her previous best of 25.22, set just last month.

Men’s 50 Freestyle – Finals

• World Record: 20.91 – Cesar Cielo, BRA (2009)
• Canadian Record: 21.48 – Josh Liendo, (2024)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 22.05
• Canadian Secondary World Champs Standard: 22.27
• Canadian World Juniors Standard: 23.18

Podium:

GOLD – Josh Liendo (NYAC) — 21.88
SILVER – Ilya Kharun (UNCAN) — 22.06
BRONZE – Ruslan Gaziev (UNCAN/OSU) — 22.23 

Florida Gator and Olympic silver medalist in the 100 butterfly, Josh Liendo, claimed the men’s 50 freestyle title with the only sub-22 performance of the field, clocking 21.88. 22-year-old Liendo, who holds the Canadian record at 21.48, won the event by nearly two-tenths over two-time Olympic bronze medalist Ilya Kharun, who touched in 22.06, a lifetime best but just shy of the 22.05 ‘A’ standard.

Kharun, 20, had out-touched Liendo in the 100 fly the night before, 50.37 to 50.46. Tokyo Olympian Ruslan Gaziev, returning after an 18-month suspension for whereabouts failures, rounded out the podium with a 22.23 for bronze, just off his 22.21 best time from the prelims.

Liendo was asked what draws him to the 50 free and responded by saying, “It’s short, you know. It’s also a lot of fun to train for. And it’s just fun to work on those details, trying your stuff out. I just like, I like the explosiveness and the speed of it. That’s one of my favorite things for sure.”

Reflecting on last summer in Paris, where he finished 9th in the semifinals of the 50 free, then got scratched into the final and placed 4th, he said the experience gave him confidence going forward. “Yeah. I mean, I think it showed me that, you know, even… I didn’t have the best of the morning but I was able to put together a good race in the final.”

Looking ahead to the World Championships in Singapore, he noted a few key areas of focus with his coaches. “Yeah, 100%. Also want to get some more power off the block, you know, dive, stuff like that. And once you get to those big meets, it’s just racing. So just be ready to race when the time comes.”

Women’s 100 Breaststroke – Finals

• World Record: 1:04.13 – Lilly King, USA (2017)
• Canadian Record: 1:05.74 – Annamay Pierse, (2009)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 1:06.87
• Canadian Secondary World Champs Standard: 1:07.54
• Canadian World Juniors Standard: 1:10:35

Podium:

GOLD – Alexanne Lepage (UCSC) — 1:06.87
SILVER – Sophie Angus (HPCON) — 1:07.27
BRONZE – Shona Branton (WES) — 1:07.79

On equaling the World Aquatics ‘A’ standard and securing a spot on the Worlds team, she said, “I’m super happy to be on. The first day was good, but I’m happy to make the team.”

She added, “Yeah, you know, I love racing these girls and it’s always fun to be in the ready room with them and everything, so I’m just happy to be able to have gotten my hand on the wall first.”

When asked if she could tell where she was in the race while swimming straight ahead, she replied, “Not really. It was just head down and go for it.”

Sophie Angus, 26, and a three-time World Championships relay bronze medalist , earned silver with a 1:07.27. Bronze went to Shona Branton, who finished in 1:07.79. Angus’s personal best stands at 1:06.66, while Branton has been as quick as 1:06.59.

Men’s 100 Breaststroke – Finals

• World Record: 56.88 – Adam Peaty, GBR (2019)
• Canadian Record: 59.85 – Scott Dickens, (2012)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 59.75
• Canadian Secondary World Champs Standard: 1:00.35
• Canadian World Juniors Standard: 1:02.42

Podium:

GOLD – Oliver Dawson (GPP) — 1:00.73
SILVER – Apollo Hess (HPCON) — 1:02.12
BRONZE – Justice Migneault (UBCT) — 1:02.24

After defending his 200 breast title earlier in the meet with a new 15-17 Canadian age record, 17-year-old Oliver Dawson made it two-for-two on the week with a win in the 100, upgrading from 5th last year. He set a lifetime best of 1:00.73 as the only man under 1:02 in tonight’s final. While he was well shy of the 59.75 ‘A’ cut and the Canadian secondary standard of 1:00.35, he came close to breaking the 15-17 Canadian age record of 1:00.69 set by Gabe Mastromatteo in 2019, a mark to watch as the summer progresses.

When asked about the swim, Dawson said, “Yeah, that’s what I was aiming for, right? Yeah.”

Dawson’s newly minted best time of 1:00.73 cracks the top ten all-time Canadian rankings, placing him 8th. Asked if he’s happy with that time, he replied, “I think it could be faster. Always can be faster, right?”

Women’s 200 IM – Finals

• World Record: 2:06.12 – Katinka Hosszu, HUN (2015)
• Canadian Record: 2:06.56 – Summer McIntosh, (2024)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 2:12.83
• Canadian Secondary World Champs Standard: 2:14.16
• Canadian World Juniors Standard: 2:17.58

Podium:

GOLD –  Summer McIntosh (UNCAN) — 2:05.70 *WORLD RECORD*
SILVER – Mary-Sophie Harvey (CAMO) — 2:08.78 
BRONZE – Ashley McMillan (GO) — 2:12.08

Summer McIntosh has done it again, clocking her fifth career long course world record with a sensational 2:05.70 in the 200 IM. The swim erased Katinka Hosszu’s 2:06.12, the final world record held by the Hungarian legend.

McIntosh, who won gold in this event along with the 200 fly and 400 IM in Paris, turned at 1:35.75 through 150 meters, sitting a tenth behind Hosszu’s pace heading into the freestyle leg. She closed in 29.95 to pull ahead and post a time nearly half a second under the old mark.

The biggest key to McIntosh’s swim tonight was the backstroke leg, where she delivered a blistering 30.80 to reach the halfway mark in 57.99, a full second faster than the 31.80 she produced in her previous personal best and Canadian record outing of 2:06.56. She had opened in 27.19 compared to her usual 26.8-range speed, but the controlled start clearly paid off.

Splits Comparison:

Speaking about her strategy, McIntosh said, “Yeah, I mean, breaststroke’s always been my weakest. So in that 50, it was just about trying to get to the wall, knowing I’d be really strong in the last 50 because my first half has been great here so far. So overall, really happy with that time. I’m always just trying to keep pushing forward. I’ll have to look over my splits and see where the breaststroke was, but I’m happy with it.”

On captured this particular world record, she said, “Yeah, I mean, it’s awesome. The 200 IM is my main race out of my top five or six events where I really have to execute perfectly. There’s no room for mistakes and it’s kind of a sprint event for me. So yeah, overall, really happy with that. It gives me a lot of confidence heading into Singapore.”

Asked how she bounced back after swimming an 8:05 in the 800 free last night, McIntosh said, “Just recovering, sleeping as much as possible, eating a lot and always staying hydrated. Making sure I get my warm downs in and things like that. Also mentally calming myself down and taking one race at a time is really important. I’ve had a lot of practice with that these past few years, so every meet I just try to focus on the moment.”

Not to be lost in the mix was Mary-Sophie Harvey, who claimed silver with a 2:08.78, a significant drop from her previous best of 2:09.57 set at last summer’s Olympic Trials. Her time also easily cleared the Worlds ‘A’ cut of 2:12.83 in this race.

After winning the 200 breast on the opening night, Harvey looks poised for a drop in the upcoming 400 IM, where a time in the 4:33 to 4:34 range appears to be well within reach.

Ashley McMillan rounded out the top three, touching in 2:12.08, just over a second off her career best of 2:11.00.

Men’s 200 IM – Finals

• World Record: 1:54.00 – Ryan Lochte, USA (2011)
• Canadian Record: 1:56.07 – Finlay Knox, (2024)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 1:59.05
• Canadian Secondary World Champs Standard: 2:00.24
• Canadian World Juniors Standard: 2:03.75

Podium:

GOLD – Finlay Knox (MAVS) — 1:57.25
SILVER – Tristan Jankovics (RCAQ) — 1:58.01
BRONZE – Lorne Wigginton (ESWIM) — 2:00.59

Finlay Knox, who has been battling a back injury over the past few months, continued his domestic reign in the men’s 200 IM. He notched a winning time of 1:57.25 to clear the field by just under a second. Tristan Jankovics, who swims for Ohio State University, logged 1:58.01 for his first time under 1:59 and well under the Worlds cut of 1:59.05. Michigan freshman Lorne Wigginton, the 2023 World Junior bronze medalist in the 400 IM, touched in 2:00.59, about a second off his 1:59.44 personal best.

After the race, Knox said, “Not gonna lie, it was a little bit of a mentally challenging day today. A little disappointed in the 50 back yesterday, but had the 100 breast this morning. It was my first 200 back since the Olympics. So it was just a lot of things going on and I just had to trust myself, just execute a solid race and that’s what I did tonight. So how special.”

Knox is best known for his standout performance in the 200 IM at the 2024 World Championships, where he closed strong on Carson Foster in the last 50 meters to claim his first world title and reset the Canadian record with a time of 1:56.64. He then lowered that record to 1:56.07 at the Canadian Olympic Trials, a time that ranked him 6th in the world for the year. At the 2024 Olympics, he finished 8th in the 200 IM in 1:57.26.

Knox has been Canada’s top IM swimmer since 2021, when he first broke the national record at the Olympic Trials with a 1:58.07. He made his Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020, placing 17th with a time of 1:58.29.

Para Swimming – Finals

• Para swimming is open to athletes with physical disabilities such as dwarfism, amputation/limb loss, blindness/visual impairment, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users, cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke, cognitive impairment, and Les autres.
• Para athletes are classified into categories based on the nature and severity of their impairments: physical (S1-S10), visual (S11-S13), and intellectual (S14). This classification system ensures a level playing field by grouping athletes with similar impairments, allowing for fair competition. To learn more about Para Swimming, including how the points system determines winners rather than time, click here.
• Key Highlights:
  • Danielle Dorris, classified S7, swam 34.25 in the 50 butterfly finals to score 1014 points. She opened the racing in prelims with a slightly faster 34.23, earning 1015 points. While a strong showing, neither swim was a personal best, as Dorris entered the meet with a 32.99.
  • In the men’s 50 fly finals, Sebastian Massabie, classified S5, broke his prelims national record by swimming 35.84 for 842 points. He first set the record in prelims with a career best of 36.59, which earned 811 points.
  • World record holder in the S10 classification, Aurelie Rivard posted a mark of 1:02.06 in the women’s 100 freestyle, scoring 965 points. Rivard, who announced she would not be competing at the Para-Worlds this summer, is instead focusing on her pursuit of a law degree for the remainder of the year.
  • Reid Maxwell broke his own Canadian s8 para record in the men’s 100 free final with a time of 59.59, scoring 991 points and going under one minute for the first time.