2025 Canadian Swimming Trials: Day 6 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 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

Stay tuned for real-time updates below.

Watch Here:

Women’s 200 Freestyle — Finals

• World Record: 1:52.23 – Ariarne Titmus, AUS (2024)
• Canadian Record: 1:53.65 – Summer McIntosh, (2023)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 1:58.23
• Canadian Secondary World Champs Standard: 1:59.41
• Canadian World Juniors Standard: 2:01.78

Podium:

GOLD – Mary-Sophie Harvey (CAMO) — 1:56.60
SILVER – Ella Jansen (ESWIM) — 1:57.33
BRONZE – Sienna Angove (UNCAN) — 1:59.07

Team Canada has qualified two swimmers for the individual women’s 200 freestyle at next month’s World Championships in Singapore. Mary-Sophie Harvey collected her third win of the meet and her fifth individual qualification with a time of 1:56.60, just off her season best of 1:56.46 and well shy of her personal best of 1:55.29.

Ella Jansen, a freshman at Tennessee, clocked a personal best of 1:57.33 to take 2nd, her first time under both 1:58 and the 1:58.23 AQUA ‘A’ standard. She had already nabbed a spot on the Worlds team in the 400 free, so this marks her second individual event for Worlds.

Jansen wasn’t the only Tennessee swimmer in the field. Graduating senior Brooklyn Douthwright recorded a 1:59.44 for 4th, just behind Ohio State freshman Sienna Angove, who posted an outing of 1:59.07. Both have been faster in their careers, with Douthwright holding a best of 1:58.44 and Angove 1:58.53, but they still earned qualifying swims for Canada’s 4×200 free relay. Douthwright also qualified for the 4×100 free relay earlier in the week.

Speaking after her performance, Harvey said, “Yeah, I mean, I couldn’t ask for more this weekend. The goal was just to get some tickets for Singapore, so coming away with five individual events, I can’t ask for more.”

On the potential of the women’s 4×200 free relay in Singapore, she added “I’m really excited. Relays have always been so strong in Canada, and I think the girls, there’s some new ones on the team and I think it’s really exciting to see for the next three years.”

Now firmly established as a true international medal contender, Harvey has transitioned from a fringe finalist to one of Canada’s top names. A two-time Olympian, she finished 4th in the 200 free at Paris 2024 and contributed to Canada’s 4th-place finish in the 4×200 free relay. She ranked 9th in the world in the 200 free last year and also held top-35 world rankings in the 400 IM (13th), 200 IM (14th), 100 fly (19th), 100 free (31st), and 400 free (33rd).

At the 2024 Short Course World Championships, Harvey collected five medals, including silver in the 200 free and bronze in the 400 free. She also notched three 4th-place finishes across the IMs (100, 200, and 400). Carrying that momentum into this summer, she remains one of Canada’s most versatile and dangerous swimmers to watch in Singapore.

Men’s 200 Freestyle — Finals

• World Record: 1:42.00 – Paul Biedermann, GER (2009)
• Canadian Record: 1:46.40 – Brent Hayden, (2008)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 1:46.70
• Canadian Secondary World Champs Standard: 1:47.77
• Canadian World Juniors Standard: 1:50.60

Podium:

GOLD – Ethan Ekk (UNCAN) — 1:48.53
SILVER – Jordi Vilchez (BTSC) — 1:48.83
BRONZE – Filip Senc-Samardzic (TSC) — 1:48.83

After breaking the Canadian record to win the 200 backstroke last night, 18-year-old Ethan Ekk made it two victories in 24 hours with gold in the men’s 200 freestyle. The Stanford commit stopped the clock in 1:48.53, which falls short of the World Aquatics ‘A’ standard of 1:46.70, the Canadian secondary standard of 1:47.77, and his own personal best of 1:48.51. As a result, he won’t swim the individual event in Singapore, but he did secure a spot on Canada’s 4×200 free relay.

Reflecting on the race, Ekk said, “I’ve really enjoyed racing here in Victoria. There were a lot of strong competitors, and it was a close race. I was really hurting on the last 50. All eight lanes were together coming off that last wall, and I just had to dig in and come home strong.”

Asked what he’s most looking forward to about the relay, he added, “They say swimming is an individual sport, but it’s really not. It takes a team to get to where you’re at and to do everything you want to do. I’m happy to be doing it with these guys here.”

Also on the relay will be Arizona State sophomore Filip Senc-Samardzic, who logged 1:48.83. He previously qualified earlier in the week for the 4×100 free relay and just missed his personal best of 1:48.70 in this race.

Rounding out the squad is Michigan freshman Lorne Wigginton, who clocked a 1:49.01 after capturing silver in the 400 IM earlier in the meet to earn an individual berth there. He was just off his 200 free best of 1:47.93.

Of note, Michigan commit Antoine Sauve, who had already qualified earlier in the meet for Canada’s 4×100 freestyle relay, posted a Canadian record of 1:46.39 in the ‘B’ final, breaking Brent Hayden’s 2009 mark of 1:46.40. Since no swimmer in the ‘A’ final hit the World Aquatics ‘A’ standard and Sauve is already on the team, Swimming Canada may consider adding him to the individual 200 free. That decision will ultimately rest with the selection committee when it convenes.

Women’s 50 Butterfly — Finals

• World Record: 24.43 – Sarah Sjostrom, SWE (2014)
• Canadian Record: 25.62 – Penny Oleksiak, (2017)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 26.23
• Canadian Secondary World Champs Standard: 26.49
• Canadian World Juniors Standard: 27.48

Podium:

GOLD – Taylor Ruck (KAJ) — 26.47
SILVER – Matea Gigovic (KSC) — 26.52
BRONZE – Kylie Masse (TSC) — 26.71

The women’s 50 butterfly didn’t see anyone reach the ‘A’ cut standard, but veteran Taylor Ruck logged 26.47 to take the win, beating the Canadian secondary standard of 26.49.

The 25-year-old, better known for her freestyle and backstroke prowess since her breakthrough in 2015, has taken up the 50 fly as more of a fun event over the past year. She just eclipsed her best time by 0.02 en route to her first butterfly national title. Since she already qualified for the team earlier this week in the 100 back, 50 free, and 100 free, she now has the option to add this event to her Singapore schedule.

Joining Ruck on the podium were Tennessee commit Matea Gigovic (26.52) and five-time Olympic backstroke medalist Kylie Masse (26.71). Gigovic just missed her personal best of 26.50, while Masse missed hers by just over a tenth.

On what she focuses on in the 50s, Ruck said, “The start and the finish were the main focus going into tonight, and timing the finish, so that was pretty much it.”

Reflecting on racing in Victoria, she added, “So much fun. Every single finals session has just been full of amazing swims from every swimmer here, so it’s really cool.”

On now being a veteran and a leader, Ruck explained, “It feels crazy to say that at this point, so I’m so grateful that that’s a thing. I’m inspired by the young talent here and super thankful to be sharing it with other veterans too. Yeah, so grateful to be a part of Swimming Canada.”

Men’s 50 Butterfly — Finals

• World Record: 22.27 – Andrii Govorov, UKR (2018)
• Canadian Record: 23.09 – Ilya Kharun, (2025)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 23.36
• Canadian Secondary World Champs Standard: 23.59
• Canadian World Juniors Standard: 24.56

Podium:

GOLD – Ilya Kharun (UNCAN) — 22.68 *CANADIAN RECORD*
SILVER – Finlay Knox (MAVS/HPCVN) — 23.59
BRONZE – Eric Ginzburg (RAMAC) — 23.76

Dual Olympic bronze medalist Ilya Kharun made a statement in tonight’s 50 butterfly, breaking his own Canadian record of 23.09 with a blazing 22.68. Not only does his win complete his sweep of the fly events here in Victoria, but it also marks the fastest time in the world this year, moving him ahead of the Netherlands’ Nyls Korstanje (22.72) and up to eighth on the all-time list.

Although his official Canadian record stands at 23.09, Kharun swam an unofficial 22.97 late last month while swimming fly in a 50 free race. Canadian swimming rules do not recognize times from outside the exact event for record purposes. Similarly, Josh Liendo holds the second fastest unofficial time with a 23.24 split in the 100 fly, but this does not count as an official record. Liendo scratched from tonight’s race and did not compete.

Top-5 Unofficial Canadian 50 Butterfly Performers:

1. Ilya Kharun, 05/23/2025 — 22.97
2. Josh Liendo, 08/03/2025 — 23.24 (Per Swimming Canada record rules, this time does not count as a record or for ranking purposes since it was a split from the first 50 of a 100 fly)
3. Finlay Knox, 02/11/2024 — 23.25
4. Santo Condorelli, 07/02/2015 — 23.30
5. Kelly Aspinall, 07/11/2013 — 23.52

Top-5 Official Canadian 50 Butterfly Performers:

1. Ilya Kharun, 05/02/2025 – 23.09*
2. Finlay Knox, 02/11/2024  – 23.25
3. Josh Liendo, 04/02/2023 – 23.27
4. Santo Condorelli, 07/02/2015 – 23.30
5. Kelly Aspinall, 107/11/2013 – 23.52

On the race, Kharun said he focused on maintaining a strong tempo and length in his strokes. “Getting my tempo up more so I can have that length into the tempo was the key tonight,” he explained.

Asked about his goals, he added, “We have to keep pushing until that number one world record.”

In Liendo’s absence tonight, Finlay Knox and Eric Ginzburg nabbed silver and bronze. Knox, officially the 2nd fastest Canadian in the event, touched in 23.59 after winning the 200 IM earlier in the meet, the event in which he won silver at the 2024 World Championships. Ginzburg swam to a time of 23.76, his first sub-24-second swim.

Men’s 800 Freestyle – Finals

• World Record: 7:32.12, Zhang Lin (CHN) – 2009
• Canadian Record: 7:41.86, Ryan Cochrane – 2011
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 7:48.66
• Canadian Secondary World Champs Standard: 7:53.35
• Canadian World Juniors Standard: 8:07.52

Podium:

GOLD – Eric Brown (PCSC) — 8:00.11
SILVER – Aiden Kirk (KAJ) — 8:06.17
BRONZE – Olivier Risk (UBCT/ROCS) – 8:10.41

Florida junior Eric Brown was dominant in the men’s 800 freestyle final, clocking an impressive 8:00.11 to take the gold, finishing six seconds ahead of the next closest competitor. Aiden Kirk captured runner-up status with a time of 8:06.17, while Olivier Risk recorded 8:10.41 to claim the bronze. Both Kirk and Risk shaved about five seconds from their respective career best times.

Brown’s final time was just shy of his 2023 lifetime best of 7:56.96 and remained off both the World Championships ‘A’ standard of 7:48.66 and the Canadian secondary qualifying mark of 7:53.35. As a result, no Canadian men will be posted on the blocks in Singapore for this 16-lap race.

Still, a national champion was crowned, an accomplishment familiar to Brown, who won this title in 2023 before falling to 2nd last year. Earlier this week, he collected his fifth consecutive national championship in the 1500 free. With this performance, he reclaimed the 800 crown in dominant fashion.

After the swim, he was asked what he’s most looking forward to in Singapore since he’s already qualified for Team Canada’s open water roster. He said, “It’s just really cool to immerse myself in different cultures and kind of test the waters in open water. It’s a way to see what these other countries are about. It gives me opportunities to travel, and I love it so much.”

When asked if he prefers open water or pool swimming, Brown replied, “I don’t know, it’s a tough pick. The pool is a little more consistent, you know what’s going to happen. But the strategy in open water is really interesting, so I like it for those reasons for sure.”

On whether he’s ever experienced any wildlife encounters, he shared, “I’ve seen plenty of crazy fish, turtles, sharks, all sorts of things, jellyfish. It’s crazy, but when you’re in a big pack, they’re not going to come to you, so it’s all good.”

Women’s 1500 Freestyle – Finals

• World Record: 15:20.48, Katie Ledecky (USA) – 2018
• Canadian Record: 15:57.15, Brittany Maclean – 2014
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Cut: 16:24.56
• Canadian Secondary World Champs Standard: 16:34.41
• Canadian World Juniors Standard: 16:58.31

Podium:

GOLD – Emma Finlin (EKSC) — 16:34.86
SILVER – Tori Meklensek (DSC) — 16:48.39
BRONZE – Bailey O’Regan (UNCAN) — 16:50.11

It was all about the open water swimmers in both distance events tonight, as another Singapore open water qualifier, Ohio State sophomore Emma Finlin, emerged victorious in the women’s 1500 freestyle for a three-peat. She placed her hand onto the wall in 16:34.86, just shy of the Canadian secondary required time of 16:34.41.

Finlin’s personal best is 16:15.77 from the 2023 World Championships, where she placed 12th.

Simon Fraser’s Tori Meklensek (16:48.39) and Stanford commit Bailey O’Regan (16:50.11) rounded out the podium, both posting huge lifetime bests since neither had ever broken 17 minutes before.

Finlin was Canada’s sole open water swimmer at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where she finished 23rd.

On already being qualified for the open water 10K and what she’s excited about, Finlin said, “I think the techniques are super cool, and just seeing how everyone else approaches the race.”

Regarding Paris last summer and the differences between racing in the Seine then and a lake this summer in Singapore, she shared, “I think it’s super different if you’re in an ocean or a lake, so I think it’ll be a lot less wavy and hopefully an easier race.”

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:
  • Aly Van Wyck-Smart delivered an impressive swim this evening in the 50 backstroke. The S3 athlete notched a time of 1:09.18, scoring 735 points and narrowly missing the Canadian Para record of 1:08.48 held by Nikita Ens.
  • Tyson Jacob took full advantage of the open water to his left and right as the only swimmer in the field, launching himself to a new Canadian record of 45.23 in the prelims. That time took down his previous mark of 46.77 from last summer. Tonight, Jacob added slightly, going 45.57 to score 581 points.
  • Jaime Cosgriffe clocked the fastest time in the multi-class 100 back, as the S10 swimmer hit the wall in 1:08.26 to score 1010 points.
  • Reid Maxwell took the win in the men’s 100 back, posting a time of 1:09.12 for 952 points in the S8 category.
  • A Canadian record fell in the men’s 100 backstroke, where Nicholas Bennett logged a 1:02.40 in the S14 class, earning 909 points and breaking his own national mark of 1:02.49 set in 2022.