2025 Ontario Swimming Championships
- July 9-13, 2025
- Toronto
- LCM
- Results
There were plenty of adjustments that needed to be made to the record books after the Ontario Swimming Championships from July 9-13.
The most notable record to fall came courtesy of 12-year-old Noah Safa of the Scarborough Swim Club, who swam a time of 2:19.79 in the 200 IM to break a record for 12-year-old boys that stood for 30 years. The old mark of 2:21.90 was set in 1995 by Chuck Sayao of Mississauga Aquatic Club.
In addition, Safa set provincial records in the 100 back (personal best time of 1:04.62) and the 50 fly (28.36). Safa also set personal best times to win the 200 back (2:20.37), 100 fly (1:02.87) and the 400 IM (5:03.72).
In the team competition, Markham Aquatic Club won the combined and boys’ titles, while Etobicoke Swimming won the girls’ title.
Other individuals to establish new records were:
- Annie Xu, a 12-year-old from Markham Aquatic Club who moved to Canada last year from China,, set a new provincial record in the 200 free during her leg of an 800 free relay in the girls’ competition, racing to a time of 2:04.39. Xu won the individual 200 free event in a time of 2:07.66. Xu also won the 50 free (27.08), 400 free (4:24.19), 800 free (9:19.75), 200 back (personal best 2:26.95) and 200 IM (personal best (2:22.00).
- In the boys’ event, Francis Brennan, 17, of the Belleville Youth Swim Team set a provincial record in the 200 back with a personal best time of 1:59.81. He also won the 200 free in a time of 1:50.64.
- Olivia Hunt of Belleville Swim Team, 11, set a provincial record in the 100 breast with a time of 1:16.45 during the girls’ event. Hunt also set personal best times to win the 50 free (28.98) and 100 free (1:03.73), and won the 200 breast in a time of 2:49.39).
- Another 11-year-old, Alexander Wang of Markham Aquatic Club, set a provincial record in the 800 free with a time of 9:46.21 in the boys’ event. Wang also set personal best times to win the 200 free (2:19.32), 400 free (4:48.69) and 200 back (2:34.12), while also winning the 400 IM (5:27.57).
- Etobicoke Swimming’s relay team of Alexander Pesevski, Vasyl Krupynin, Elijah Vostrikov and Ethan Lai set a new provincial record in the 4X50 medley relay with a time of 2:03.66.
- Austin Nelissen, a para swimmer from the Orangeville Otters Swim Club, set new provincial records in the 100 back (1:10.72) and the 1500 free (18:30.79) during the boys’ event.
- Ian Steadman, a para swimmer from Royal City Aquatic Club, set a provincial new record in the 100 breast during the boys’ event with a time of 2:38.650.
- Aly Van Wyck-Smart, a para swimmer from Whitby Swimming, set a new provincial record in the 100 free with a time of 2:21.77 in the girls’ event.
- Jessica Kinney, a para swimmer from Ajax Aquatic Club, set a new provincial record in the 100 breast with a time of 2:38.56.
- Alyssa Smith, a para swimmer from the Orangeville Otters Swim Club, set a new provincial record in the 200 fly with a time of 2:29.34.
Noah Safa is awesome #BIGLove. Sorry I got confused. I didnt realize there are Trolls on here talking nonsense!
There have been a lot of things said about the club and coaches, but only a handful supported swimmers.
This article is mainly dedicated to Noah Safa, but also mentions other swimmers, including 4 ESWIMMERS who set a national record in 200 medley for the club.
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL KIDS IN ALL CLUBS.
Eswim parents that participated in this chat, you should feel ashamed of yourself for not saying anything about the kids in the first place. Instead you go on and on about club and coaches, good and bad.
So I suggest to all of you keep your club thoughts to yourself and think about swimmers first.
I’m sure there are other sources where you can discuss… Read more »
💯
Congratulations to all OSC participants who worked hard on a daily basis to get to this level.
Clearly there is an issue at ESWIM with conflict resolution, because internal matters should be dealt with at the club so that this doesn’t happen. The manager, the board, the head coach should reassess how they hear out their customers and handle their concerns. Highlighting swimmers not having what it takes, or criticizing their work ethic, to defend a position is shameful. Training is multi-faceted with coaches, parents and swimmers working together to achieve a common goal. It’s okay for all parties involved in training to reassess their part and aim to do and be better. Nobody is exempt from reflection… Read more »
You’re absolutely right, John the focus should be on the swimmers and teams. They deserve all the recognition, and I genuinely wish them continued success. Young Noah Safa is a standout talent, and I hope he rises all the way to the top.
That said, I take serious issue with the personal, anonymous remarks made in this thread. They are not only factually incorrect but veer into defamation and border racism. It’s unfortunate that some feel the need to tear others down often fuelled by their own frustrations or disappointments.
We should be celebrating the athletes, not allowing bitterness to cloud the conversation. Let’s keep the spotlight where it belongs: on the hard work and achievements of the swimmers.
John, I completely agree with you. I believe the article was intended for the swimmers themselves—not for parents, coaches, or clubs.
I want to take this opportunity to congratulate everyone who qualified for OSC, achieved personal bests, won medals, or broke records. These are fantastic accomplishments, and our swimmers deserve recognition, encouragement, and a positive atmosphere.
Ultimately, our goal is to help our kids grow into better individuals and succeed in whichever profession they choose. Unfortunately, the tone of some of the criticism in this chat doesn’t set the best example for them.
If there are concerns about clubs or coaches, the appropriate way to address them is through direct communication with board members or coaches—not through social media.
As an independent it’s hard to find facts that support a drop off at eswim. Whether you look at number of pbs at OSC or number of swimmers at trials etc. The best teams in the US are recruiting your swimmers and swim Canada still considers it worthy of the label of high performance club of which I think only 2 in Ontario have that label. That having been said there is clearly a dissatisfied populace at the club. Based upon swim board experience how your board, coaches and club navigate this division could end up defining the clubs direction and success over the coming years. In Kevin’s day it was hard to find dissenters. Hopefully eswim will remain one… Read more »
RIP KT but the truth is, he started at ESWIM long before social media and Swim Swam was around so any dissension would’ve not had nearly the ability to amplify like in today’s world. He definitely has dissent especially early on but it had little resonance and it was often quickly put down with a dismissal from the club.
As a parent who has been part of ESWIM for several years, I feel compelled to speak up.
There’s been a lot of noise online lately; mostly from people who seem more interested in stirring drama than understanding what’s actually happening. The reality is this: ESWIM is evolving, and not everyone has been able; or willing to keep up.
Yes, standards have gone up. Yes, swimmers are being asked to take responsibility for their performance. And yes, when people display toxic or inappropriate behaviour, it’s addressed swiftly; because that’s what any serious club committed to excellence and athlete well-being should do.
Let’s also be honest: top swimmers need more than just talent. They need resilience, work ethic, and coachability. The… Read more »
The 2-year results of the new head coach of Etobicoke Swimming are disastrous. Congratulations to MAC with well deserved dominance!
It’s not surprising that this is happening at the once mighty ESWIM.
If you want a club that has a vastly overpaid, arrogant and authoritarian head coach that is pathologically insecure and devoid of personality and passion ….
If you want a head coach that cannot take criticism or feedback ….
If you want a club where the head coach spends more time on his phone than coaching ….
If you want insanely repetitive and one-dimensional training sets ….
If you want a club where the head coach’s total focus is on his top swimmer ….
If you want another imported coach that thinks his swimmers are sh.t ….
If you want a… Read more »
This has been fact checked and all is true!
This post is absolute garbage and it is obviously written by a swimmer who recently left disgruntled.
Disappointed in who wrote this.
If you’re looking for a swim club that not only builds fast swimmers but also outstanding human beings, look no further than ESwim. A community of driven athletes, dedicated coaches, and supportive families, all aligned in the pursuit of swimming excellence.
From the youngest pre-competitive swimmers to national-level athletes, ESWIM provides a structured, high-performance environment rooted in discipline, integrity, and growth. The coaching staff is exceptional, knowledgeable, motivational, and relentlessly focused on long-term development rather than short-term results. Technique is refined. Mental toughness is nurtured. And every swimmer is treated as a whole person, not just a… Read more »
Seems like you’re bitter… maybe this situation is personal even.
Sometimes the truth hurts and kids are mean to one another and need to be reprimanded. Sometimes clubs go through changes that are necessary in order to improve because there are problems far worse that were present or made aware to the masses. Sometimes people write comments on websites because they’re angry and don’t want to face reality that their kid needs to grow up and become responsible for their actions. Sometimes a coach inherits a situation that is so challenging that it takes significant and bold moves in order to steer a club out of a disastrous situation in which they found it. Sometimes people use the veil… Read more »
It seems a little ironic to call out libel while spreading libelous rumors about a competing club?
The truth is there’s a SS complaint. 100% accurate.
This post is untrue and it is obviously written by a swimmer who recently left disgruntled.
Disappointed in who wrote this.
If you’re looking for a swim club that not only builds fast swimmers but also outstanding human beings, look no further than ESwim. A community of driven athletes, dedicated coaches, and supportive families, all aligned in the pursuit of swimming excellence.
From the youngest pre-competitive swimmers to national-level athletes, ESWIM provides a structured, high-performance environment rooted in discipline, integrity, and growth. The coaching staff is exceptional, knowledgeable, motivational, and relentlessly focused on long-term development rather than short-term results. Technique is refined. Mental toughness is nurtured. And every swimmer is treated as a whole person, not just… Read more »
Isn’t it great to be a keyboard warrior. Trying to undermine the achievements of these kids with your own personal unhappiness. Post your identity. Why hide your unhappiness with yourself and your life?
So easy to splash shit for those keyboard warriors. Eswim has had a ton of world class swimmers and if you are disappointed with your swimmer’s results then blame yourself or your swimmer for not working hard enough during those sets.
Imported coach? 100% of Canada is “imported”. You don’t like it here, you are welcome to export yourself to a different club or even place or country. Freedom of choice has not been cancelled yet, I personally fought for it hard
Isn’t it great to be a keyboard warrior. Trying to undermine the achievements of these kids with your own personal unhappiness. Post your identity. Why hide yourself when you have such positive things to say about a group of people who are volunteering to run a swim club and doing their best to hire qualified coaches to train and babysit your kids. Change clubs and keep your opinions to yourself tough guy.
As someone who grew up swimming with ESwim and now has a child in the program, I find it incredibly disheartening to read such a distorted and damaging comment about a club that has been a second family to so many of us for decades. This post doesn’t reflect the reality of ESwim, its coaches, or its community.
The head coach being described here is not the person we know. This is someone who has sacrificed tremendously for this sport and this club – leaving his home country and moving overseas with his wife and four young children to build on ESwim’s proud legacy. That kind of decision is not made by someone who lacks passion or integrity. It’s made… Read more »
Yeah that provincial win for the Etobicoke women really is a catastrophe.
Multiple swimmers have been developed for national level championships both male and female during the last 2 years including winners of Canadian Chamionships. 3 swimmers have been selected to represent Ontario at Canada Games. And additionally the club won the provincial winter championships in February.
Your version of disastrous is clearly needing a refresh.
Great job Noah!
this kid moves swim programs every week
no coincidence he explodes this season and suddenly look 16
super man puberty or something like that
Dear Broper, Safa is a real hard worker. I don’t know if you have seen many 16 year olds, but that’s definitely not him. He’s a normal 12 year old. He doesn’t switch programs because it’s fun, only when he doesn’t get support. He’s a great kid and a great addition to any club, as long as that club has good coaches.
truestrongandfree
Safa is a great hard worker swimmer. That’s just plain mean saying things like that.
Seen male swimmer’s shoes change 4 sizes in less than a year. eswim coaching lost letting N.S leave.