Kylie Masse Takes Down Canadian Record In Prelims

Kylie Masse of the Windsor Essex Swim Team and the University of Toronto made a statement this morning with a huge 59.17 performance that broke the Canadian record and sets her up as the top seed heading into tonight’s final.

Masse’s time took a sizable chunk of Sinead Russell’s 59.68 Canadian record that she swam at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai.

In what has been an absolutely breakthrough year for Masse, she’s now in a great position to make the Olympic team. If she’s able to get her hand on the wall in either first or second tonight and once again dip under that FINA ‘A’ time, she should be a lock for Rio.

Masse’s time ranks her fifth in the world this year, and right in the mix with some of the top medal contenders across the globe.

This performance has been a long-time coming as Masse’s been on fire all season long competing for the University of Toronto. After passing the short course 50m backstroke national mark back-and-forth with her teammate Paige Miller, the record eventually landed in her hands.

At the 2016 CIS Championships this past February, Masse broke the long course 50m backstroke record with a 27.84 performance. At the same meet Masse was lose to the Canadian record in the 100 backstroke with a 59.81 performance.

A sub 59.15 performance tonight will put her  top three in the world rankings.