Laon Kim Blasts 50.39 100 Free To Become Fastest 15-Year-Old In Canadian History

2023 SPEEDO CANADIAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

One day after leading off the University of Calgary Swim Club (UCSC) to a new National Age Group Record in the 400 freestyle relay, Laon Kim was back in the water on the third night of action at the Canadian Swimming Championships in Toronto, winning the 14-15 100 free with a massive best time.

Kim, 15, won the event in a time of 50.39, knocking more than six-tenths of a second off his previous PB to become the fastest 15-year-old in Canadian history.

(In the NAG relay record performance, Kim led off in 51.17.)

Kim overtakes current UCSC teammate Paul Dardis (50.76) for ownership of the #1 time ever for a 15-year-old, taking out his previous PB of 51.05 set in March which stands as the 13-14 NAG record.

Despite having only recently turned 15, Kim already ranks seventh all-time in the boys’ 15-17 age group in Canada, with Josh Liendo owning the NAG record at 49.17. Kim is also fourth in the 15-16 rankings, trailing Liendo (49.71), Javier Acevedo (50.15) and Dardis (50.18).

In the United States, the only 15-year-olds who have been faster than Kim are Thomas Heilman (49.06), Max Williamson (50.14) and Kaii Winkler (50.24).

Kim won the event by more than two and a half seconds, with Elite Swimming’s Eitan Issakov breaking 53 for the first time to earn the runner-up spot in 52.99.

In the 16-18 age group, CAMO’s Antoine Sauve (50.26) emerged with the gold medal over TSC’s Filip Senc-Samardzic (50.42) and Dardis (50.53), with Sauve and Senc-Samardzic both setting new personal bests.

Competing as exhibition, another CAMO swimmer, 17-year-old Ali Sayed, put up a time of 50.15 in the prelims to break the Quebec Provincial Record in the 15-17 age group.

Pointe-Claire’s Patrick Hussey dropped a sizeable PB to win the 19 & over title in 50.09, topping UCSC’s Stephen Calkins (50.26) and UBC’s Blake Tierney (50.36).

The other big highlight of Thursday’s session came in the 200 backstroke, where Brock’s Madison Kryger followed up her standout performance in the 100 back on Tuesday by dropping another big PB.

Kryger, 14, won the girls’ 13-14 event by more than seven seconds in a time of 2:13.85, knocking off her previous PB of 2:14.80 (set in June at the Mel Zajac International) to move up into second all-time in the 13-14 age group, trailing only Taylor Ruck (2:10.22).

Kryger, whose previous best ranked her sixth in the age group, also broke the Ontario Provincial Record for 14-year-olds with her performance.

The girls’ 15-17 result ended up in a tie, as 17-year-old Katelyn Schroeder of the Langley Olympians Swim Club and 16-year-old Delia Lloyd of Etobicoke producing matching 2:12.24s to share the gold.

Lloyd’s swim moves her up to ninth among 15-16 girls in Canada, having previously been 2:13.30 less than one month ago, while Schroeder also dropped more than a second, having previously been 2:13.63 last April.

On the male side, Cascade’s Parker Deshayes won the 14-15 200 back in a time of 2:05.00, dropping his PB of 2:06.80 to rank seventh all-time among 15-year-olds in Canada.

OTHER DAY 3 HIGHLIGHTS

  • UCSC’s Aiden Norman powered to the win in the men’s 16-18 200 back in a time of 2:03.27, having reeled off the first three sub-2:00 swims of his career in 2023. Norman set a PB of 1:59.35 at the Canadian Trials in the spring, placing second overall.
  • HPC Vancouver’s Raben Dommann, who was third at the Canadian Trials, went sub-1:59 for the first time in 1:58.64 to win the 19 & over 200 back over Tristan Jankovics (1:59.11) and Benjamin Loewen (1:59.67).
  • In a razor-thin battle, Winskill Dolphins’ Zachary McLeod dropped five seconds to win the boys’ 14-15 1500 free in a time of 16:04.41, edging out CAMO’s Simon Fonseca (16:04.81).
  • Roc Swimming’s Olivier Risk topped the 16-18 1500 free in 15:41.94, taking off six seconds, while Markham’s Alexander Axon clocked 15:31.58 to win the 19 & over event. Axon owns a PB of 15:26.16 from the 2021 Olympic Trials.
  • Liu Ziyun (CDSC) won the girls’ 13-14 100 free in a time of 58.24, while GMAC’s Jenna Walters (55.95) won the 15-17 event and CNQ’s Sarah Fournier (54.58) edged out Rebecca Smith (54.81) in the 18 & over age group. Fournier’s swim improves on her previous best of 54.74 set in late June.
  • In the mixed 400 free relay, the University of Calgary Swim Club quartet of Calkins, Dardis, Avery Movold and Kamryn Cannings combined for a time of 3:35.01 to break the Alberta Provincial Record.

TEAM SCORING

Top 5 Canadian Team Banner (Through 35 of 75 Events)

  1. University of Calgary Swim Club – 1,573
  2. Ponte-Claire Swim Club – 1,024
  3. Etobicoke Swimming – 891.5
  4. Club Aquatique Montreal – 858.5
  5. Langley & Abbotsford Olympians – 805

Top 5 Canadian Junior Team Banner (Through 35 of 75 Events)

  1. University of Calgary Swim Club – 1,281
  2. Etobicoke Swimming – 732.5
  3. Langley & Abbotsford Olympians – 688
  4. Club Aquatique Montreal – 672
  5. Pointe-Claire Swim Club – 659

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Sceptic
1 year ago

I do not understand, did you combine Day 2 and Day 3 coverage? I do not see some events from either day covered here at all

Bob
1 year ago

These age group categories like 13-14 or 15-16.Are they not irrelevant in the age of computers.Why not just compare 14 year olds to 14 year olds etc..

Bo Swims
Reply to  Bob
1 year ago

For starters national records are 13-14 & 15-17 in Canada. Most provinces have single age provincial records so Kim broke Dardis’s records (Alberta & Club 🦖)

Last edited 1 year ago by Bo Swims
Greg
1 year ago

For a moment I though it was a 50.39 100fly, and I thought wth are they putting in their maple syrup.

Bo Swims
Reply to  Greg
1 year ago

Lol.

4×200 tonight NAG is 7:37 (Oakville AC)
UCSC boys seed times add up to 7:24.75

Canadian record (clubs) is 7:19.46

About James Sutherland

James Sutherland

James swam five years at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back and IM. He finished up his collegiate swimming career in 2018, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019 he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism. Prior to going to Laurentian, James swam …

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