2026 Speedo Canadian Open – Day 1 Prelims Recap

2026 SPEEDO CANADIAN OPEN

• April 9-11, 2026
• Edmonton, Alberta
• Edmonton Kinsmen Sports Centre
• LCM (50 meters)
• Meet Central
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While not a selection meet for this Summer’s Pan Pac Games, the 2026 Speedo Canadian Open serves as an important litmus test for many of Canada’s best as they gear up for July’s Canadian Trials. For many, the meet serves as the first big nationwide long-course meet of the year, but for others, it’ll be their first long-course meet this calendar year, as many NCAA swimmers return home to compete domestically.

Things got off to a bang early with Sebastian Massabie slicing .07 off his S5 Canadian Para Record. Massabie recorded a time of 1:22.00, bettering his time from last July. The 21-year-old tied for 3rd with Ken Stroud, with the pair collecting 789 Para Points. The pair will both be chasing Reid Maxwell tonight, whose 1:00.59 earned the Canadian record holder an impressive 971 Para Points. In the women’s event beforehand, bott Mary Jibb and Ariana Hunsicker broke the 900-point barrier as well, collecting 914 and 902 points respectively.

The fast start continued with Taylor Ruck breaking the Canadian Open Meet record in the morning’s 5th event, the women’s 100 back, posting a time of 59.34. The 25-year-old was out in 29.07 and closed in 30.27 to break the two-year-old record of 59.93 set by the now-retired Maggie MacNeil. Ruck was 59.32 in the 100 back semis at the Westmont Pro Swim Series, so she is just a little off her season best. Look for her to be pushed tonight by Ingrid Wilm, who was the only other swimmer under 1:02 this morning. Wilm took the race out fast like Ruck, opening in 29.28, but then shut it down, closing in 32.25 to stop the clock at 1:01.53, doing enough to earn the 2nd seed in tonight’s 10-lane final.

While the women’s 100 back looks to be a duel between Ruck and Wilm, the men’s race tonight appears to be a three-way battle between Blake Tierney, Raben Dommann, and Inbar Danziger, with only .20 separating the three. Tierney posted the fastest time of the morning, hitting the wall in 54.93, taking it out in 26.76. Danziger, one of a few University of Michigan swimmers to make the trip north, was out faster, opening in 26.46 but as half a second slower on the last 50, touching 3rd fastest at 55.13. Sandwiched between the two and just .01 ahead of the Israeli swimmer was Dommann, who hit the wall in 55.12, powered by the fastest last 50 in the field (28.05).

A 2024 Doha World Semifinalist in the 200 back, Dommann, is on the comeback trail after having taken time off to recover from heart surgery aimed to repair a congenital heart defect that caused him to suffer a stroke back in January of 2025. The 25-year-old returned to competition last fall and more recently competed at the Westmont PSS, where he placed 8th in the final of this event, going 55.95.

Fresh off a strong NCAA meet, Ella Jansen of Etobicoke Swimming, posted the top time in the prelims of the 200 free, stopping the clock in the lone sub-2:00 time, going 1:58.44. Jansen, who competes for Tennessee collegiately, placed 4th in the 400 IM last month but opted not to swim the event here, instead opting to take on the 200 free. While she didn’t race the yards version of this event at NCAAs, she did lead off the Volunteers’ 8th-place finishing 800 free relay in a new PB of 1:41.73.  Surrounding Jansen tonight in the final will be Marlee Winser, a 17-year-old from British Columbia and a Washington State commit, who earned the 2nd seed with her 2:01.07, and Emma O’Croinin, who was just .10 back to secure the 3rd seed.

It’s not just those two, however, looking to challenge Jansen tonight as Bella Sims and Brooklyn Douthwright both advanced into the final tonight. Sims, who beat Jansen in the 400 IM at NCAAs, was 4th fastest this morning, going 2:01.52, .08 ahead of Douthwright, who also swam collegiately for Tennessee.

The men’s 200 free is looking to be a tight affair, as less than a second separates the top four from this morning’s prelims. Daniel Krichevsky, an Israeli national who recently competed at NCAAs for Auburn, took the top seed for tonight’s final, going 1:50.42. Antoine Sauve, who was also at NCAAs, albeit for Michigan, joined him under 1:51, with his 1:50.71 prelims swim. Sauve swam the race very differently from Krichevsky, with the CAMO-based swimmer opening up in 55.26, nearly two seconds slower than Krichevsky’s 53.35, but used a strong last 50 of 26.62 to earn the 2nd seed ahead of Zachary Parise (1:51.05) and Finlay Knox (1:51.38). Don’t sleep on Laon Kim, the 15-17 Age Group record holder, as he was out in 53.91 this morning, but then appeared to shut things down, closing in 59.58 to stop the clock at 1:53.49. Kim was playing with fire as he nearly wound up missing the final, as he snuck in as the 10th seed.

Top Seeds for Tonight’s Events

• W. Para 100 Free: Mary Jibb – 1:04.51 (914)
• M. Para 100 Free: Reid Maxwell – 1:00.59 (971)
• W. 400 IM: Grace Wharton – 5:00.95
• M. 400 IM: Jaques Harrison – 4:29.63
• W. 100 Back: Taylor Ruck – 59.34
• M. 100 Back: Blake Tierney – 54.93
• W. Para 50 Back: Aly Van Wyck-Smart – 1:09.56 (715)
• M. Para 50 Back: Etienne Boutin-Cote – 1:08.39 (357)
• W. 50 Breast: Sophie Angus – 31.67
• M. 50 Breast: Oliver Dawson – 27.49
• W. 200 Free: Ella Jansen – 1:58.44
• M. 200 Free: Daniel Krichevsky – 1:50.42
• W. Para 200 IM: Tess Routliffe – 3:06.52 (937)
• M. Para 200 IM: Nicholas Bennett – 2:13.34 (969)
• W. 200 Fly: Maxine Clark – 2:18.37
• M. 200 Fly: Simon Maclure – 2:06.85