Canadian swimmer Kylie Masse shed some additional light on the virus that impacted so many at the World Championships and also gave her perspective on the controversy surrounding the American team.
Appearing with former Canadian Olympian Brittany MacLean Campbell (member of Canada’s bronze medal-winning team in the 4×200 free relay at the 2016 Rio Games) on a CBC Sports YouTube show called “The Ready Room,” Masse first talked about the “acute gastroenteritis” virus that plagued the U.S. team and others in Singapore.
Masse said the whole virus situation was “crazier than COVID was,” while at the same time lauding her Canadian team for staying relatively healthy.
“It was not easy,” Masse said. “Continuing to be aware of who you are around and what you are doing at the pool, away from the pool and in the hotel. Obviously, teams are sharing hotels. Everybody is eating the same buffet. Not like a (Olympic) Games style where everybody is together, but there were multiple different hotels where different teams were at together. Just being extra extra cautious of your personal hygiene and trying to do anything that you could to continue to stay healthy throughout the meet.”
Masse said if there was a silver lining, it was how athletes demonstrated their toughness by swimming through such adverse circumstances.
“There’s always something going around,” she said. “There’s people dealing with things—sickness and injuries — that are sometimes spoken about and sometimes not. And I feel like it was almost cool for the world to see that this was going on, but people were still able to get up and manage this and manage their illness, or manage their injury and be able to put together some really, really amazing performances.”
Masse also spoke on the show about the situation with the American team throughout the event.
Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps took to social media to not only express their disappointment with the results by the American team. Commentator Rowdy Gaines also criticized USA Swimming’s leadership and performance issues in Singapore.
The U.S. did leave with the most overall (29) and gold medals (9), but the thoughts of Gaines, Lochte and Phelps continued a period of adversity for USA Swimming, which is still searching for a permanent CEO and trying to boost membership numbers.
Masse said she never got a negative vibe from the Americans on the deck.
“I feel like they constantly showed up with purpose and with drive no matter what the situation was,” she said. “That was something I actually noticed a number of times. I was just like, ‘Wow, you would never know what’s happening if I didn’t look online, because no one was talking about it either.”
Masse won a bronze medal as part of Canada’s 4×100 mixed medley relay team and was 4th in the women’s 100 back.
My queen.
LOVE her! She is currently training in Florida, with the Florida Gators, I think she could be dating her teammate Joshua Liendo.
They were at the Jays game together when Josh did the first pitch.
Would have been nice if somebody on the US leadership side of things (non athlete) had stepped up in the same way with respect for the US athletes and their efforts under difficult circumstances.
Kylie Masse has been an inspiration her entire career. She is an incredibly talented and consistent athlete. Understated backstroke. Wonderful Canadian.
People often play “what if Kaylee didn’t exist” with Regan, but Kylie is an interesting case too. Kylie would individually have 2 golds, a silver and 2 bronze at the Olympics, making her one of the most successful backstrokers of all time.
She has always been admirable and has toughness about her but also she seems really friendly and humble.
I am a fan
She’s got that champion’s ability to get her hand on the wall and get the best out of herself when it counts most. Huge fan.
She is a Class Act. And one of the fastest backstrokers in History! Unlike that 80s Olympian who is such Cringe to listen to when he is 1 of the commentators.
Actually I like watching select NBC Sports YT videos of past championship swimming finals where that person would constantly scream from the start about particular US swimmers whom he was convinced to win while completely ignoring anyone else and other lanes, only for his voice to rapidly weaken and crestfallen when swimmers from other countries were passing his favorite US swimmers in the last 25 meters. His brain suddenly froze because reality suddenly stopped conforming with his own brain’s conviction. He didn’t know what to say and lost words.
Presumably he is providing what many of his viewers want – I suspect his approach says a lot about his audience.
What a class act. A Canadian showing more respect to American athletes than some of the bigger names in U.S. swimming
This. 1000%, yes.
The Canadian way. Classy, outward looking, humble.
I agree. If Phelps and Lochte have misgivings about how USA Swimming is being run, that is fine. But the time to make a public criticism was not during the world championships, while Team USA were doing their best in difficult circumstances. The time for reflection, evaluation, and yes, criticism, is afterwards. I felt that their memes were ill-considered.
Canadian Swimmers/Coaches/Admin: This is who you should be watching and listening too on how to handle “yourselves” in sports and how to treat others!
I don’t understand what you’re trying to say with your comment.
Oh.. you know what they’re trying to say.
Lasagna (a lovely name and one I Hope I am Pronouncing Correctly). He is referring to the Canadian Swimmer Summer McIntosh and how She didn’t Shake hands with Katie (Kathleen) Ledecky, An American swimmer after the 800 Freestyle in the 2025 World Championships. I don’t Know why yourselves is In Quotation Marks but I’ve been told I have “Errant” capitalization and Grammar so I will not throw Glass Stones from a Rock House.
Randy
Lasagna is a delicious name
Untrue. The video footage simply missed the handshake and interaction in the water between Ledecky and McIntosh which even Braden from SS posted picture of the handshake on his Twitter and stated all the negativity on this story was based on a “lie”.
And yet she did shake her hand, there is video evidence out there.
But good to see the lie lives on….
I AM not saying What Happened. I don’t Even have Twitter (allegedly). “I am “ just saying what The Comment Is referring To.
I stay off Twitter and in the Real World. The comments, plus Twitter are Similar to an Empty Miller lite can. Full of Exhoes!
Randy
Well said. Circumstances will never be perfect, it’s about doing the best you can, stepping up and racing
and spreading the gastro virus around