2026 Canadian Swimming Trials: Day 4 Prelims Live Recap

2026 Canadian Swimming Trials

• July 5-9, 2026
• Montreal, Canada — Montreal Olympic Pool
• LCM (50 Meters)
• Meet Central
• Pan Pacific Championships Selection Criteria
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• How To Watch
• Recaps:
  • Prelims: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

The fourth day of the 2026 Canadian Swimming Trials gets underway this morning with preliminary heats in the women’s and men’s 200 IM, 50 free and 200 breast, plus the early heats of the men’s 1500 free and the multi-class 50 free and 100 breast para events.

After setting the 200 fly world record on Sunday and winning the 400 IM on Monday, three-time Olympic gold medalist Summer McIntosh announced she was withdrawing from the rest of the competition on Tuesday due to illness.

As a result, the world record holder and reigning Olympic and world champion in the 200 IM will be absent from the event today, opening the door for Mary-Sophie Harvey to take control and likely cruise to victory tonight.

We’ll see national record holders in action in the men’s 200 IM (Finlay Knox) and women’s 50 free (Taylor Ruck), while the women’s 200 breast will feature Sophie Angus, who was impressive on Monday in the 50 breast.

Ruck has been on fire so far this week, picking up wins in the 100 back, 100 free and 100 fly over the first three days of racing.

Oliver Dawson headlines the men’s 200 breast as the new national record holder in the 50 and 100, while the men’s 50 free is headed up by Yuri Kisil and Ruslan Gaziev with Josh Liendo opting not to compete here in Montreal.

Women’s 200 IM – Prelims

• World Record: 2:05.70 – Summer McIntosh, Canada (2025)
• Canadian Record: 2:05.70 – Summer McIntosh (2025)
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Standard: 2:12.83

‘A’ Final:

1. Ella Jansen (ESWIM), 2:15.21
2. Mary-Sophie Harvey (CAMO), 2:15.22
3. Summer Cardwell (PCSC), 2:15.58
4. Kathryn Hazle (UNCAN), 2:16.51
5. Brooklyn Douthwright (CNBO), 2:16.54
6. Kamila Blanchard (PCSC/HPCON), 2:16.76
7. Reina Liu (UNCAN), 2:17.19
8. Marlee Winser (KISU), 2:19.10
9. Sienna Angove (KCS), 2:19.42
10. Rowynn Biffart (AMAC), 2:19.71

Summer Cardwell, Ella Jansen and Mary-Sophie Harvey cruised to victory in each of the three circle-seeded heats of the women’s 200 IM to claim the top three spots for tonight’s final.

After Cardwell won Heat 3 in a time of 2:15.58, Jansen clocked 2:15.21 in the following heat to take over the top spot, which held up after Harvey was one one-hundredth slower in the final heat.

Comparing their splits, Jansen (33.88) lost more than two seconds to Harvey (31.48) on the backstroke leg, but gained them back coming home on free. Jansen closed in 31.85, while Harvey shut things down in 33.70. Cardwell was somewhere in between, but notably lost over a second to both Jansen and Harvey on breaststroke.

Harvey was the runner-up to Summer McIntosh in this event at the 2025 Canadian Trials in a personal best time of 2:08.78, while Jansen, who didn’t race the 200 IM at last year’s Trials, owns a PB of 2:12.57 set this past April. Cardwell’s best stands at 2:13.64, set last year.

Men’s 200 IM – Prelims

• World Record: 1:52.69, Leon Marchand (FRA) – 2026
• Canadian Record: 1:56.07, Finlay Knox – 2024
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Standard: 1:59.05

‘A’ Final:

1. Tristan Jankovics (RCAQ), 2:01.27
2. Finlay Knox (MAVS/HPCON), 2:02.02
3. Lorne Wigginton (ESWIM), 2:02.64
4. Laon Kim (UCSC), 2:02.65
5. Jordi Vilchez (BTSC), 2:03.07
6. Marcus Mak (ISC), 2:03.46
7. Anton Semenyuk (NG/HPCON), 2:04.12
8. Kent Goni Avila (RAMAC), 2:04.89
9. Owen Ekk (UNCAN), 2:05.15
10. Jaques Harrison (CREST/HPCVN), 2:05.33

Similar to the women, the top three qualifiers into the final of the men’s 200 IM each won their circle-seeded heats this morning, doing just what was required to comfortably advance into the evening session.

Royal City Aquatics’ Tristan Jankovics booked Lane 4 for tonight after posting a time of 2:01.27 from the penultimate heat, delivering solid splits all-around: 25.94/30.06/35.84/29.43.

Jankovics owns a personal best time of 1:58.01, set en route to his runner-up finish at last years Trials, and so far this season, he’s been as fast as 1:59.23, done at the U.S. Open in early December.

Reigning Trials champion and national record holder Finlay Knox topped the sixth and final heat in 2:02.02 to qualify 2nd into the final, having blasted out to a 25.10 opening 50 of fly but cruising through the breaststroke leg in 37.08.

Knox won the 2025 Trials in 1:57.25, and like Jankovics, set his season-best in December at the U.S. Open, where he clocked 1:58.74.

Advancing in 3rd was Lorne Wigginton, who broke the longstanding Canadian Record in the 400 IM on Monday. The 21-year-old put up a season-best time of 2:02.64, and based on his form in the 400, he should have a chance at lowering his three-year-old best time of 1:59.44 set at the 2023 World Juniors.

In 4th, 18-year-old Texas commit Laon Kim set a new personal best time of 2:02.65, out-splitting all of the top three qualifiers in both the breast (35.66) and free (28.70) legs. Kim set his previous best of 2:03.20 en route to winning last year’s junior final.

Women’s 50 Free – Prelims

• World Record: 23.55, Gretchen Walsh (USA) – 2026
• Canadian Record: 24.26, Taylor Ruck – 2018
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Standard: 24.86

‘A’ Final:

1. Taylor Ruck (HPCVN), 24.64
2. Sarah Fournier (CAMO), 25.45
3. Leilani Fack (OS), 25.47
4. Kelly Choi (KAJ), 25.54
5. Ranumi Eashwarage (UCSC), 25.65
6. Leah Tigert (TSC), 25.77
7. Reina Liu (UNCAN), 25.84
8. Taya Hutchinson (WAC), 25.97
9. Teagan Vander Leek (EKSC), 26.03
10. Payton Kelly (CASC), 26.13

*Internationals in top 10 but ineligible for ‘A’ final: Sylvia Statkevicius (25.85)

Taylor Ruck‘s run of good form continued on Wednesday morning as the 26-year-old blasted her way to a time of 24.64 in the women’s 50 free, putting her more than eight-tenths clear of the rest of the field heading to the final.

The swim marks the ninth-fastest of Ruck’s career, and unlike the 100 free or 100 back, the majority of her top times in the 50 free have come in recent years. Her best time stands at 24.26, set at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, but she was 24.50 at the 2024 World Championships, 24.57 at the Paris Olympics, and 24.53 at the 2025 World Championships.

So far this season, she’s been as fast as 24.59, done at the Sacramento Pro Swim in May, ranking her in the world’s top 20.

Ruck has already won the 100 back, 100 free and 100 fly so far in Montreal, setting a new best time in the 100 back and delivering her fastest swim since 2019 in the 100 free.

Qualifying 2nd into the final was Sarah Fournier, the 30-year-old veteran who was 3rd in this event at the 2025 Trials behind Penny Oleksiak and Ruck in a lifetime best of 25.17.

Fournier clocked 25.45 this morning, with Leilani Fack continuing her streak of personal best times in 25.47 for 3rd, and 16-year-old Kelly Choi set a new lifetime best of 25.54 to advance in 4th.

Choi’s swim moves her up one spot, overtaking Ruck, for 7th all-time among Canadians in the girls’ 15-16 age group.

Reina Liu, also 16, made the final in 7th (25.84) shortly after advancing in the same position in the 200 IM. Liu booked her ticket to Pan Pacs on Monday by earning a top-four finish in the 100 free.

Men’s 50 Free – Prelims

• World Record: 20.88, Cameron McEvoy (AUS) – 2026
• Canadian Record: 21.48, Josh Liendo – 2024
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Standard: 22.05

‘A’ Final:

1. Yuri Kisil (CASC), 21.98
2. Ruslan Gaziev (UNCAN), 22.64
3. Chris Weeks (MPM), 22.65
4. Luke Stewart-Beinder (OS), 22.67
5. Eric Ginzburg (RAMAC), 22.83
6. Ben Sytsma (UNCAN), 22.92
7. Guillermo Cruz Zuniga (CAMO), 22.98
8. Laon Kim (UCSC), 23.02
9. Antoine Sauve (CAMO), 23.04
10. Albert B. Bouley (CREST), 23.10

*Internationals in top 10 but ineligible for ‘A’ final: Lucas Nebrich (22.80), Ian Everett (22.98)

After 12 career swims 22.17 or faster, Yuri Kisil has finally broken the 22-second barrier.

Kisil fired off a time of 21.98 in the sixth and final heat of the men’s 50 free, chipping three one-hundredths off his previous lifetime best of 22.01 while becoming the 179th man in history under 22 seconds.

Coming into the meet, his season-best stood at 22.50 from the Sacramento Pro Swim in May.

He remains the fifth-fastest performer in Canadian history, with Ruslan Gaziev, who qualified 2nd into the final, being the next man to chase at #4 with his best time of 21.93.

Gaziev clocked 22.64 this morning for 2nd, while Mount Pearl Marlins Swim Club’s Chris Weeks notably put up a time of 22.65 to take 3rd and break his own Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Record of 22.78 set last year.

Also setting best times were Luke Stewart-Beinder (22.67) in 4th and Ben Sytsma (22.92) in 7th, while Laon Kim (23.02) advanced in 8th shortly after making the final of the 200 IM.

Women’s 200 Breast – Prelims

• World Record: 2:17.55, Evgeniia Chikunova – 2023
• Canadian Record: 2:20.12, Annamay Pierse – 2009
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Standard: 2:25.91

‘A’ Final:

1. Alexanne Lepage (UCSC), 2:26.38
2. Shima Taghavi (HYACK), 2:30.53
3. Amaris Peng (UBCT), 2:30.95
4. Sophie Angus (HPCON), 2:31.09
5. Chloe Danks (UT), 2:34.17
6. Marley Monsen (GPP), 2:35.95
7. Grace Rowe (KSC), 2:36.00
8. Maelle Sanborn (UVPCS), 2:36.30
9. Venna Bui (RHAC), 2:36.54
10. Lauren Stokley (LAC), 2:36.64

University of Calgary Swim Club’s Alexanne Lepage dominated the heats of the women’s 200 breaststroke, producing the fastest time of the morning by more than four seconds.

The 21-year-old split 1:10.39/1:15.99 en route to a time of 2:26.38, not too far off the time she went in last year’s Trials final (2:25.91).

Lepage’s best time stood at 2:24.70 from the 2023 World Juniors before lowering it to 2:23.40 at the Monaco leg of the Mare Nostrum Tour in May, ranking her #6 all-time in Canada. A few days later, she delivered the second-fastest swim of her career in 2:24.54.

Now, she’s the frontrunner heading into the final, with the World Aquatics ‘A’ cut less than half a second faster than her prelim time (2:25.91). She has yet to qualify for the Pan Pac team having placed 2nd in last night’s 50 breast final.

Qualifying 2nd overall was Hyack’s Shima Taghavi, a 15-year-old standout who won the junior final last year in 2:30.33. She then lowered her best time to 2:27.83 at the 2025 World Junior Championships, where she placed 6th.

This morning, Taghavi put up a time of 2:30.53 to win the first circle-seeded heat, while last night’s 50 breast winner, Sophie Angus won the penultimate heat in 2:31.09 to advance in 4th.

UBC’s Amaris Peng, racing alongside Lepage in the last heat, set a season-best time of 2:30.95 to earn the 3rd spot in the final. Her best time stands at 2:28.13, set back in 2023.

Men’s 200 Breast – Prelims

• World Record: 2:05.48, Qin Haiyang (CHN) – 2023
• Canadian Record: 2:08.84, Mike Brown – 2008
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Standard: 2:10.32

‘A’ Final:

Men’s 1500 Free – Slower Heats

• World Record: 14:30.67, Bobby Finke (USA) – 2024
• Canadian Record: 14:39.63, Ryan Cochrane – 2012
• World Aquatics ‘A’ Standard: 15:01.89

Top 10 (through early heats):

PARA HIGHLIGHTS