Kylie Masse’s Incredible Run of Consistency Continues At Short Course Worlds

Canadian backstroker Kylie Masse has been on a phenomenal run of consistency for the better part of the last decade,  having been a mainstay on international podiums dating back to 2015.

In fact, Masse has won at least one individual medal at 12 straight major championships, a streak that continued last week after she claimed bronze in the women’s 200 backstroke at the Short Course World Championships in Melbourne.

After narrowly missing qualifying for the Canadian World Championship team in 2015, placing third in both the women’s 100 and 200 backstroke at the Canadian Trials, Masse kicked off her international career by winning the 100 back at the World University Games that summer, breaking 1:00 for the first time in 59.97.

Since then, she’s won at least one individual medal at two Olympic Games, three Long Course World Championships, three Short Course World Championships, two Commonwealth Games, and the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships.

MASSE’S INDIVIDUAL MEDALS SINCE 2015

2015 World University Games

• Women’s 100 backstroke – gold (59.97)

2016 Olympic Games

• Women’s 100 backstroke – bronze (58.76)

2016 Short Course World Championships

• Women’s 100 backstroke – silver (56.24)

2017 World Aquatics Championships

• Women’s 100 backstroke – gold (58.10)

2018 Commonwealth Games

• Women’s 50 backstroke – silver (27.82)
• Women’s 100 backstroke – gold (58.63)
• Women’s 200 backstroke – gold (2:05.98)

2018 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships

• Women’s 100 backstroke – gold (58.61)

2019 World Aquatics Championships

• Women’s 100 backstroke – gold (58.60)
• Women’s 200 backstroke – bronze (2:06.62)

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

• Women’s 100 backstroke – silver (57.72)
• Women’s 200 backstroke – silver (2:05.42)

2021 Short Course World Championships

• Women’s 50 backstroke – silver (25.62)
• Women’s 100 backstroke – silver (55.22)
• Women’s 200 backstroke – silver (2:02.07)

2022 World Aquatics Championships

• Women’s 50 backstroke – gold (27.31)
• Women’s 100 backstroke – silver (58.40)

2022 Commonwealth Games

• Women’s 50 backstroke – gold (27.31)
• Women’s 100 backstroke – silver (58.73)
• Women’s 200 backstroke – silver (2:07.81)

2022 Short Course World Championships

• Women’s 200 backstroke – bronze (2:01.26)

This run of success includes Masse winning a medal in the 100 back at 11 straight major meets up until this year’s Short Course Worlds, finishing sixth in a time of 56.18. She’s generally been much stronger in the long course pool, though she hit a new level at last year’s SC Worlds in Abu Dhabi, claiming a trio of silver medals.

This year, though her 100 back performance was well off her best, Masse produced a personal best time and Canadian Record of 2:01.26 to get on the podium in the 200 back, and was also fourth in the 50 back behind three swimmers who now rank as the three fastest in the event’s history.

OTHER CURRENT STREAKS

Looking at individual medalists from the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, there are seven other swimmers currently riding streaks of winning at least one individual medal at every major competition in which they’ve competed.

Not surprisingly leading the way is Sarah Sjostrom. The Swedish legend didn’t race in Melbourne, but has won an individual at 17 straight championship meets dating back to the 2013 Long Course World Championships. This run doesn’t even factor in the fact that she won major medals in 2008 and 2009, having missed the podium at following meets such as the 2011 World Championships and 2012 Olympics.

Adam Peaty is not far behind Sjostrom with a run of 15, notably not competing at this year’s LC Worlds and LC Euros, while Katie Ledecky, Chase Kalisz, Lilly King, Emma McKeon and Ryan Murphy are also riding individual medal streaks.

Peaty put his streak on the line at SC Worlds last week and narrowly kept it alive, earning bronze in the men’s 100 breast (56.25) and finishing eight one-hundredths ahead of fourth-place Qin Haiyang (56.33).

King, McKeon and Murphy also extended their streaks in Melbourne.

Chad Le Clos has missed the podium at two major meets in recent years, though we should only really factor in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and not this year’s LC Worlds, where he raced one prelim and then withdrew due to a medical condition.

Prior to Tokyo, Le Clos had won an individual medal at 12 straight major meets beginning at the 2012 Olympics in London.

Sarah Sjostrom (17)

• 2013 LC Worlds
• 2013 SC Euros
• 2014 LC Euros
• 2014 SC Worlds
• 2015 LC Worlds
• 2015 European SC
• 2016 European LC
• 2016 Olympics
• 2017 LC Worlds
• 2017 SC Euros
• 2018 LC Euros
• 2019 LC Worlds
• Tokyo 2020
• 2021 SC Euros
• 2021 SC Worlds
• 2022 LC Worlds
• 2022 LC Euros

Adam Peaty (15)

• 2014 Commonwealth
• 2014 LC European
• 2014 SC World
• 2015 LC Worlds
• 2015 SC European
• 2016 LC European
• 2016 Olympics
• 2017 LC Worlds
• 2017 European SC
• 2018 Commonwealth
• 2018 European LC
• 2019 LC Worlds
• Tokyo 2020
• 2022 Commonwealth
• 2022 SC Worlds

Katie Ledecky (10)

• 2012 Olympics
• 2013 LC Worlds
• 2014 Pan Pacs
• 2015 LC Worlds
• 2016 Olympics
• 2017 LC Worlds
• 2018 Pan Pacs
• 2019 LC Worlds
• Tokyo 2020
• 2022 LC Worlds

Chase Kalisz (9)

• 2013 LC Worlds
• 2014 Pan Pacs
• 2015 LC Worlds
• 2016 Olympics
• 2017 LC Worlds
• 2018 Pan Pacs
• 2019 LC Worlds
• Tokyo 2020
• 2022 LC Worlds

Lilly King (9)

• 2015 WUGs
• 2016 Olympics
• 2016 SC Worlds
• 2017 LC Worlds
• 2018 Pan Pacs
• 2019 LC Worlds
• Tokyo 2020
• 2022 LC Worlds
• 2022 SC Worlds

Emma McKeon (8)

• 2016 Olympics
• 2017 Worlds
• 2018 Commonwealth
• 2018 Pan Pac
• 2019 LC Worlds
• Tokyo 2020
• 2022 Commonwealth
• 2022 SC Worlds

Ryan Murphy (8)

• 2016 Olympics
• 2017 LC Worlds
• 2018 Pan Pacs
• 2018 SC Worlds
• 2019 LC Worlds
• Tokyo 2020
• 2022 LC Worlds
• 2022 SC Worlds

Masse, who will turn 27 next month, is perhaps the most unheralded name of athletes currently on one of these individual medal runs, but her ability to consistently show up when it counts has put her in this position, and she’s shown no signs it will end anytime soon.