2024 CANADIAN OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC TRIALS
- May 13-19, 2024
- Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre – Toronto, Ontario
- LCM (50 meters)
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The stands had only just quieted after Finlay Knox‘s 200 IM Canadian record when Josh Liendo stepped on the blocks for the men’s 50 freestyle final.
21.48 seconds later, there was a new Canadian record on the books. Liendo took down his own Canadian record of 21.61 by .13 seconds as he added another event to his Olympic schedule. It also gave him a sweep of the sprint freestyle events at the 2024 Canadian Trials; he already won the 100 free and matched his personal best (47.55) to secure his seat on the plane to Paris this summer.
It’s Liendo’s first personal best in the event in two years, since he swam 21.61 at the 2022 World Championships. It’s a bit of a breakthrough for Liendo as prior to this swim, all of the five fastest performances of his career in this event came in 2022. In 2023, his season best was 21.80, swum at Canadian Trials.
“[I’ve] been working a lot on that event and it’s good to see, you know, that time on the board. So I’m happy with it,” Liendo said immediately after his race.
Not only is the time a new Canadian record, but it also launches Liendo up the world rankings. He swam a 21.72 in prelims which put him tied for 11th. Now with this swim, he’s moved up into 4th place in the world this season. Only Cameron McEvoy, Ben Proud, and Vladyslav Bukhov have been faster. And both McEvoy and Bukhov’s times were done at the 2024 World Championships.
2023-2024 LCM Men 50 Free
MCEVOY
21.13
| 2 | Benjamin PROUD | GBR | 21.25 | 04/06 |
| 3 | Vladyslav BUKHOV | UKR | 21.38 | 02/16 |
| 4 | Caeleb DRESSEL | USA | 21.41 | 06/22 |
| 5 | Josh LIENDO | CAN | 21.48 | 05/18 |
Liendo has slowly climbed up the ranks in this event. At the Tokyo Games, he finished 18th, missing semifinals. Then, in 2022, he finished 5th while setting that former national record. At the 2023 World Championships, Liendo made semifinals but ended up withdrawing to focus on the 100 butterfly (where he eventually won silver).
That conflict between the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly will still be there in Paris. On Day 7, the 50 freestyle final comes three events before the 100 butterfly semifinals. We’ve seen that double done before, including by Liendo’s training partner Caeleb Dressel.
Liendo and his coaches have some time before they have to make that decision. But it’s clear that Liendo feels that even after swimming a new national record, he’s capable of bringing that standard even lower.
After the race, he told CBC’s Devin Heroux “there’s still more there.”
21.3 or higher wont medal in Paris
Of course.
He’s ready to go 49 in the fly
Liendo will take the 50 in paris
Will take the 50 free bronze medal
He wont beat McEvoy
I remember when similar things were getting said about Ben proud and his in season 21.11. didn’t age so well…
Splash and dash is much more unpredictable than other events.
In recent years, only Dresel at his absolute best and peak years were more easily predicted.
Everyone says that the 50 is unpredictable and a crapshoot. False. Typically the best win. Very rarely do the top swimmers at the big meets mess up their start, breakout, or finish.
In 2022 the suggestion that McEvoy would be scaring Dressels textile WR would have been laughed at. Then in 2023 that some Ukrainian no one had heard off would upset McEvoy next year would have been seen as some weird fantasy. In 2015, that geriatric Anthony Ervin would beat the then textile WR holder Manaudou was pretty out there. In 2012 some french dude with a PB of 21.95 heading into the games was not at all a medal favorite. I have no idea where this ridiculous notion the 50 is hard to predict comes from either
You didn’t watch 2012 London, 2016 Rio, 2023 Fukuoka, and 2024 Doha, did you?
None of those were any more “unpredictable” than other events.
“You didn’t watch 2016 Rio 200 breast 2021 Tokyo 400 free did you?”
I was responding to this comment:
“Everyone says that the 50 is unpredictable and a crapshoot. False. Typically the best win. Very rarely do the top swimmers at the big meets mess up their start, breakout, or finish.”
The meets that I mentioned all had surprise 50 free winner.
While Art said it’s 50 free is predictable.
Cam mcveoy is still favourite.
Eh, 50 free is weird. Unless it is peak Dressel, anything can happen.