2019 FINA WORLD AQUATICS CHAMPIONSHIPS
- All sports: Friday, July 12 – Sunday, July 28, 2019
- Pool swimming: Sunday, July 21 – Sunday, July 28, 2019
- The Nambu University Municipal Aquatics Center, Gwangju, Korea
- Meet site
- Competition Schedule
- FinaTV Live Stream
- Entry Lists
- Results
The Canadian women put an exclamation point on their record-setting performance at the 2019 World Championships, winning bronze and setting a new National Record in the final event of the competition.
The team of Kylie Masse, Sydney Pickrem, Maggie MacNeil and Penny Oleksiak came together to produce a time of 3:53.58, smashing the previous mark of 3:54.86 set at the 2017 Championships in Budapest.
Masse and Oleksiak were both members of that team, though the now 19-year-old Oleksiak swam fly there. They were joined by Kierra Smith and Chantal van Landeghem.
Smith swam the preliminaries of the relay this year, and was Canada’s only entrant in the individual 100 breast, but had a lacklustre 1:08.61 leg. The move to bring in Pickrem, who had just come out of the 400 IM final, ended up paying off as she split 1:06.42 which tied for third-fastest in the field.
SPLIT COMPARISON
Masse was off of her best on the lead-off, a full second slower than her best time and eight-tenths off what she went on the relay two years ago.
Pickrem was slightly quicker than Smith, and then MacNeil dropped a 55.56 leg to be a full 1.34 seconds quicker than the previous record.
Oleksiak closed it out in 52.48, the third-fastest in the field, gaining another six-tenths on the old record.
| Canada, 2017 Worlds | Canada, 2019 Worlds |
| Masse – 58.31 | Masse – 59.12 |
| Smith – 1:06.57 | Pickrem – 1:06.42 |
| Oleksiak – 56.90 | MacNeil – 55.56 |
| van Landeghem – 53.08 | Oleksiak – 52.48 |
| 3:54.86 | 3:53.58 |
MacNeil’s split was the fastest in the field by six-tenths, and also ranks as the eighth-fastest in history.
ALL-TIME FASTEST WOMEN’S 100 FLY SPLITS
- Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 55.03 – 2017
- Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 55.28 – 2015
- Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 55.43 – 2016
- Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 55.47 – 2014
- Dana Vollmer (USA) / Rikako Ikee (JPN), 55.48 – 2012/2018
- –
- Rikako Ikee (JPN), 55.53 – 2018
- Maggie MacNeil (CAN), 55.56 – 2019
- Rikako Ikee (JPN), 55.68 – 2018
- Sarah Sjostrom (SWE), 55.73 – 2014
The American women won gold in a new world record of 3:50.40, including another WR on the lead-off from Regan Smith in the 100 back (57.57). Australia took second, edging out the Canadians in 3:53.42.
This gives Canada eight medals, all from the women, at the competition. Their previous record total was six from 1978.
Unfortunately Masse had her slowest swim of the week, albeit a long week. But just that couple of tenths more might have given us the silver.
Canada definitely would have won silver. They should have done RUCK-K.SMITH-R.SMITH-SANCHEZ
Pickrem’s split in the breaststroke suggests that if she trains in it more, she could potentially be competitive in that event as well.
Don;t forget, she swam a 400 IM just 30 minutes before the relay so it’s not hard to believe that rested she would go faster.
52.53 for Pellegrini in the 100 in relay. It’s his best equal to sjostroem
I think Day 8 Final broke Swim Swam.
The pages and comment section look funky
Should be back to normal now.