2024 MAC Spring Long Course Invitational
- May 9-11, 2024
- City of Markham Pan Am Centre, Markham, Ontario, Canada
- Long Course Meters (50 meters)
- Live Results
As Canada’s best swimmers are gearing up for the 2024 Canadian Olympic Trials at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre beginning on Monday, the nearby city of Markham is hosting an age group meet at its own Pan Am Centre, the host facility of the water polo events for the 2015 Pan American Games.
The timed finals sessions on the first day of the meet featured an electric result from Huini “Annie” Xu in the 400 free. The 11-year-old from the host club swam 4:26.52, which bettered her own swim as the fastest-ever by a Canadian 11-year-old.
She swam 4:30.45 in March, which in turns was faster than the 4:34.48 done by Summer McIntosh in 2018. McIntosh, 17, is expected to be the star of next week’s Canadian Trials and one of the stars of this summer’s Olympic Games. She is a former World Record holder in the 400 free and the current second-fastest swimmer in the history of that event.
Xu’s splits:
- 100m – 1:04.58
- 200m – 1:08.27 (2:12.85)
- 300m – 1:07.57
- 400m – 1:06.10 (2:13.67)
Xu very-nearly even-split the race, including a closing 100 of 1:06.10.
While Swimming Canada doesn’t recognize single age records, they do list all-time single age rankings. Swimming Ontario does recognize single-age records, however, and Xu has now twice broken McIntosh’s record in that category. McIntosh holds the 11-12 Canadian Record in 4:20.68.
Xu is scheduled to swim the 1500 free at next week’s Canadian Olympic Trials. She is the 50th seed in that event.
She is now the fastest Canadian 11-year old girl ever in the 200 free (2:08.49), 400 free (4:26.52), 800 free (9:24.32), and the 400 IM (5:03.88).
Records are meant to be broken but let’s see if she is still around at 15.
Why we never hear about 10-13 age-group phenoms in China? Given how early they try to identify athletic talents and put them under a strict regiment of training, plus 1.4 bullion population… Maybe they just know how much truth their birth certificates hold?
Some of the “10-13 age-group phenoms” became world champions already.
Swam 9-10 age group event in Beijing last fall, so her birthdate is very close to Yu Zidi.
See you in #Brisbane2032 – or not…
At this rate, maybe LA 2028!
This is absurd, how the hell 😱. Please let her stay happy and healthy so we see her as a prime adult superstar 🤞.
The next Canadian swimming superstar
she’s actually a chinese citizen. She moved to Canada last winter as her mother began her studies at Seneca College. I heard that in China she trained with the Henan provincial team.
So not Canadian…?
Just curious if a non citizen can be eligible for Olympic trial?
We’re not sure of Annie’s full situation, but she is entered in the Olympic Trials. Foreign swimmers are eligible for the meet, they can’t swim in A finals or Junior finals, and only 4 can swim in the B finals (including alternates) in Olympic program events.
The psych sheets denote international swimmers (or at least some of the international swimmers) with a * preceding their name (eg Sebastian Lunak). No * for Annie Xu, for what it’s worth.
Not all international athletes have * next to their names. For example, Sylvia Statkevicius, who represent Lithuania also doesn’t have it
Interesting – I wasn’t sure if it was comprehensive, but seems that what the * denotes. Strange it’s incomplete.
I hope she stays in Canada and continues to thrive.
Are you sure this isn’t an ad for Seneca?
My understanding is that she recently moved here from China. I couldn’t find any records of her times elsewhere prior to her time at her current club.