Josh Liendo Breaks Canadian Record in Prelims of the 100 Fly on Sunday, Ranks #3 in the World

2024 CANADIAN OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC TRIALS

After setting a Canadian Record in the 50 free on Saturday evening, Josh Liendo was in full-blown ‘go mode’ on Sunday morning at the Canadian Olympic Trials. He swam 50.33 in prelims, shaving .01 seconds off his previous best time and national record and reaffirming himself as a serious contender for an Olympic medal in Paris this summer.

Liendo swam his previous best at last summer’s World Championships where he took a silver medalist behind Maxime Grousset of France.

Splits Comparison:

Josh Liendo Josh Liendo
Old Canadian Record (2023)
New Canadian Record (2024)
50m 23.55 23.68
100m 26.79 26.65
Total Time 50.34 50.33

He swam this basically the same way that he swam his swim at last year’s World Championships. By comparison, en route to his first NCAA title in the event in March, he really pushed the front end of the race.

He has held this record since 2021, when he broke Santo Condorelli’s record of 51.83 from 2016.

Liendo now ranks #3 in the world this season, though the Olympic field continues to be muddled by the uncertain status of American Caeleb Dressel, the World Record holder and defending champion, and Hungarian Kristof Milak.

Of late, Dressel has looked on form, swimming 50.84 in San Antonio in April, though we don’t know how that will play out in a double-taper scenario of the Olympic Trials and Olympic Games. Milak’s situation, meanwhile, has become more chaotic with local media reporting that he has missed most practices since Hungary’s National Championships.

2023-2024 LCM Men 100 Fly

JoshCAN
Liendo
05/19
50.06
2 Noe
PONTI
SUI50.1604/06
3Caeleb
DRESSEL
USA50.1906/22
4Matthew William
Temple
AUS50.2512/03
5Maxime
GROUSSET
FRA50.5906/21
View Top 32»

Liendo has historically been flat from Trials to the big international meet – no huge time drops, but usually within a tenth of his Trials cut in one direction or the other.

Trials Big Meet
2023 50.36 50.34
2022 50.88 50.97
2021 51.4 51.5

Besides the Canadian Record in the 50 free, Liendo also won the 100 free this week in 47.80, with a prelims 47.55 matching his time from Worlds last year; and he also swam a best time of 1:47.83 in prelims of the 200 free before scratching the final.

Liendo, 21, trains in the United States at the University of Florida. He has two World Championship silver medals and two bronze medals.

Race Video is Below:

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Hank
1 month ago

Is Liendo turning pro, or racing college again next season, or can he do both? I can’t see why he wouldn’t turn pro when he has the fastest time in the world in the 100fly.

Tracy Kosinski
1 month ago

Dressel has helped Liendo with his start!

Aragon Son of Arathorne
1 month ago

Liendo is deadly. Hope to see he and Caleb racing in the final in Paree.

Smglsn12
1 month ago

I love how liendo is really just a very slightly slower version of Dressel at his peak (SCY and LCM)

Jimmyswim
1 month ago

Love how half the comments on this article are Americans being offended that someone might dare think a swimmer other than Dressel might be good at the 100 fly

saltie
Reply to  Jimmyswim
1 month ago

and the other half are delusional Canadians who think Liendo has a shot against Daddy D. You can play both sides of this game. We won’t see who is right until Liendo goes 49.4, 42.8, or retires without touching either.

Right now, both sides are just talking, and there is nothing wrong with speculation.

Jimmyswim
Reply to  saltie
1 month ago

I’m not Canadian. But this really isn’t a “both sides” thing. This is an article about a Canadian who just broke a record and some Canadians are excited. Then you’re on here personally offended that someone else is excited.

If you get upset by someone else being excited about the possibility of success, and you can’t help but chime in with rude statements, then that’s a you problem.

If Canadians hang out on US trials articles and every time an American swims a PB they say “BUT THEY’LL NEVER BEAT SUMMER” then I would also criticise that.

Last edited 1 month ago by Jimmyswim
Winkelschleifer
Reply to  Jimmyswim
1 month ago

In the end, perhaps there will be no Americans or Canadians on the podium. It is possible that the medals will be shared between France, Switzerland and Hungary.

ScovaNotiaSwimmer
Reply to  Braden Keith
1 month ago

There’s been a lot of weirdly defensive Dressel fanatics on Liendo posts the last few days. Intensity > frequency with these posters.

ScovaNotiaSwimmer
1 month ago

It’s very weird how triggered some people are by the concept that someone might someday get close or beat Dressel’s times. The pedestal is intense with this one.

‘Murica
Reply to  ScovaNotiaSwimmer
1 month ago

It’s more like you’re likely going to be disappointed if you’re comparing him to the best sprinter ever.

Outside Smoke
Reply to  ‘Murica
1 month ago

I mean they train together every single day and compete in the same events and swim relatively similar times but go on.

ScovaNotiaSwimmer
Reply to  ‘Murica
1 month ago

I feel like Americans are the only ones comparing them. Canadians are just excited to have such a great swimmer on the team.

Lotus
1 month ago

Think he does a Noe Ponti and goes slightly slower in final. 50.41

ibelieve
1 month ago

Remembering Santo Condorelli used to have this record is hilarious. Mr. Worldwide indeed.

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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