Canadian Olympian Erica Morningstar Downs Three Masters World Records In Calgary

2023 Canadian Masters Championships

• May 26-28, 2023
• Calgary, Alberta
• MNP Community & Sport Centre
• SCM (25 meters)
• Meet Central
• Results

Two-time Canadian Olympian Erica Morningstar was on fire at the Canadian Masters Championships in Calgary over the weekend, setting two individual world records in the women’s 30-34 age group and adding a third on a relay.

Morningstar broke the women’s 30-34 all-time records (SCM) in the 50 freestyle and 100 IM, and also came incredibly close in the 50 breaststroke.

The 34-year-old put up a time of 25.12 in the 50 free, lowering the world record of 25.17 established by Russian swimmer Svetlana Kniaginina in 2014 while also taking hold of the Canadian Record previously held by Nadine Rolland (26.06) from 2006.

You can watch the 50 free below, courtesy of Jasen Pratt on Instagram:

 

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In the 100 IM, Morningstar fired off a time of 1:02.15 to take down American Erika Erndl‘s world record of 1:02.52 set in 2012 while also lowering Rolland’s National Record of 1:04.44 from 2005.

In her last event of the competition, Morningstar nearly broke a third record, clocking 31.59 in the 50 breaststroke to fall just shy of the 31.35 world record set by Germany’s Nicole Heidmann in 2015. Morningstar did break the Canadian Record by nearly two seconds, erasing Lauren Dorrington‘s 2016 mark of 33.49 from the books.

Morningstar’s personal best times stand at 24.84 in the 50 free (2007), 30.97 in the 50 breast (2011) and 59.39 in the 100 IM (2011).

Kicking off the competition on Friday, Wild Rose Swim Club broke a 10-year-old Masters world record in the mixed 200 medley relay, as Joe Byram (26.34), Jason Block (27.95), Lindsay Le Roux (28.45) and Morningstar (24.52) combined for a time of 1:47.26 to lower the 1:47.51 mark established by Phoenix Swim Club in 2013.

Morningstar also led the team off in 25.05 on the mixed 200 free relay, though it does not appear that will officially count as the world record in the individual race. Le Roux (27.20), Byram (23.88) and Block (23.63) followed to finish in 1:39.76, breaking the Canadian Record by over three seconds while falling just over two seconds shy of the world record (120-159 combined age group) set by Russia in 2019 (1:37.51).

Morningstar represented Canada at both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and is a two-time medalist in relays at both the Pan Pacific Championships (2006, 2010) and the Commonwealth Games (2006). She was a semi-finalist in Beijing in the 100 free, and in London, she narrowly missed a second swim by placing 17th in the 200 IM.

This was her first competition since 2013 according to swimrankings.

A fourth world record fell at the competition at the hands of 57-year-old Jan Bidrman, a two-time Swedish Olympian who has a long resume of coaching success over the last 30 years.

Bidrman, also representing Wild Rose Swim Club, clocked a time of 59.58 in the 100 butterfly, lowering the men’s 55-59 world record of 59.80 set by Canadian Dan Thompson in 2013.

Block, a 2016 Olympian, also picked up victories and set new Canadian Records in the men’s 30-34 age group in the 50 breast (27.99), 100 breast (1:01.61) and 200 breast (2:18.19).

Byram, who previously starred for the University of Alberta in the CIS (now U SPORTS), set new National Records in the men’s 25-29 age group in the 50 back (25.91) and 100 back (56.81).

FULL LIST OF CANADIAN RECORDS BROKEN

• Women’s 30-34 50 freestyle – Erica Morningstar (34), 25.12*
• Women’s 30-34 50 breaststroke – Erica Morningstar (34), 31.59
• Women’s 30-34 100 butterfly – Kendra Chernoff (32), 1:02.01
• Women’s 30-34 100 IM – Erica Morningstar (34), 1:02.15*
• Women’s 60-64 50 backstroke – Denyse Senechal (61), 35.18
• Women’s 60-64 100 butterfly – Louise Giannoccaro (61), 1:18.20
• Women’s 65-69 50 backstroke – Kathy Graham (65), 38.14
• Women’s 65-69 50 butterfly – Kathy Graham (65), 36.08
• Women’s 65-69 100 butterfly – Kathy Graham (65), 1:29.01
• Women’s 70-74 400 freestyle – Lori Wylie (70), 5:58.46
• Women’s 70-74 800 freestyle – Lori Wylie (70), 12:08.55
• Women’s 70-74 50 butterfly – Lori Wylie (70), 40.95
• Women’s 70-74 200 IM – Lori Wylie (70), 3:18.10
• Women’s 80-84 50 freestyle – Madeleine Sevigny (80), 39.52
• Women’s 85-89 50 freestyle – Linda MacPherson (85), 45.14
• Women’s 85-89 100 freestyle – Linda MacPherson (85), 1:39.09
• Women’s 85-89 200 freestyle – Linda MacPherson (85), 3:37.10
• Women’s 85-89 400 freestyle – Linda MacPherson (85), 7:42.77
• Women’s 85-89 800 freestyle – Linda MacPherson (85), 15:46.65
• Women’s 240-279 400 freestyle relay – CAMO Natation, 5:02.94
• Men’s 25-29 50 backstroke – Joe Byram (29), 25.91
• Men’s 25-29 100 backstroke – Joe Byram (29), 56.81
• Men’s 25-29 100 IM – Montana Champagne (27), 56.32
• Men’s 25-29 200 IM – Montana Champagne (27), 2:06.19
• Men’s 25-29 400 IM – Tristan Cote (28), 4:30.74
• Men’s 30-34 100 freestyle – Adam Best (32), 50.97
• Men’s 30-34 50 backstroke – Boris Kirillov (31), 26.07
• Men’s 30-34 50 breaststroke – Jason Block (34), 27.99
• Men’s 30-34 100 breaststroke – Jason Block (34), 1:01.61
• Men’s 30-34 200 breaststroke – Jason Block (34), 2:18.19
• Men’s 35-39 100 breaststroke – Chris Tobin (38), 1:02.41
• Men’s 45-49 50 freestyle – Jason Middleton (47), 24.27
• Men’s 55-59 50 backstroke – Jan Bidrman (57), 28.81
• Men’s 55-59 100 butterfly – Jan Bidrman (57), 59.58*
• Men’s 60-64 100 breaststroke – Marco Veilleux (61), 1:12.23
• Men’s 60-64 100 IM – Marco Veilleux (61), 1:07.53
• Men’s 65-69 100 backstroke – Ruben Alvaro (65), 1:10.90
• Men’s 80-84 50 butterfly – Peter Straka (80), 38.20
• Men’s 80-84 100 butterfly – Peter Straka (80), 1:51.42
• Men’s 100-119 400 freestyle relay – Calgary Masters Swim Club, 3:34.45
• Men’s 240-279 200 freestyle relay – Wild Rose Swim Club, 1:48.64
• Men’s 240-279 400 freestyle relay – Wild Rose Swim Club, 4:00.48
• Men’s 240-279 200 medley relay – Wild Rose Swim Club, 2:00.60
• Men’s 240-279 400 medley relay – Wild Rose Swim Club, 4:27.06
• Mixed 120-159 200 freestyle relay – Wild Rose Swim Club, 1:39.76
• Mixed 120-159 200 medley relay – Wild Rose Swim Club, 1:47.26*
• Mixed 240-279 200 freestyle relay – CAMO Natation, 1:57.67
• Mixed 240-279 200 medley relay – CAMO Natation, 2:09.09

*world record