2022 Ontario Junior International (OJI)
- December 16-18, 2022
- Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Short Course Meters (25 meters), Prelims/Finals
- Psych Sheets
- Live Stream
- Live Results
14-year-old Laon Kim broke another Canadian Age Record, 16-year-old Kamryn Cannings won back-to-back races, and a number of Meet Records fell at the 2022 Ontario Junior International meet in Toronto.
The meet is the most significant short course meters junior championship in the western hemisphere, and one of the biggest such annual meets in the world. In attendance were the top juniors from across Canada, plus a squad from Great Britain.
14-year-old Laon Kim of the Hyack Swim Club in BC didn’t win any races on day one of the meet, but he did break another Canadian Age Group Record. He swam 8:05.12 in the 800 meter free to finished in 3rd place, which took almost a second off his own previous record of 8:06.05 from November.
The difference in the swim was a more aggressive opening effort. Kim split 55.33 at the 100 and 1:54.69 at the 200 on Friday; in his previous record-setting swim, he was 56.64 at the 100 and 1:56.92 at the 200.
He finished behind British 17-year-olds Tyler Melbourne-Smith (7:50.04) and Harry Wynne-Jones (8:03.22) in the event. Melbourne-Smith’s time whacked the old Meet Record of 7:53.56 that was done by David Quirie at the 2019 meet.
Meet Records fell in both of the day 1 distance events. In the girls’ race, it was 15-year-old Laila Oravsky who won in 16:20.21. That knocked almost 24 seconds off Chantel Jeffrey’s 2019 record of 16:43.98 and left her only 4.5 seconds behind Olivia Anderson as the fastest Canadian 15-year-old ever in the event. The top three swimmers were all under the old record, in fact: Lydia Kilger was 2nd in 16:21.45 and Megan Willar was 3rd in 16:32.17.
Kim’s record-breaking ways didn’t stop after the 800 free. In the 200 free, he used that new-found speed to again break his own record, first with a 1:49.16 in prelims and then with a 1:48.50 in finals. Those swims are both under his old record of 1:50.86 done in early November.
Kim also has the age records in the 100 free (50.48), 400 free (3:54.19), 200 fly (2:00.93), and 200 IM (2:04.15) all of which seem in the crosshairs after his opening salvo. He missed his own record in the 400 IM, finishing 12th in 4:23.83 on his 3rd event of the day.
The star of the day on the girls’ side was 16-year old Kamryn Cannings from the University of Calgary Swim Club. She won the 100 fly in 58.73, beating-out Etobicoke’s Elan Daley by six-tenths of a second; and came back in the very next event to win the 50 back in 27.78. Those are both new lifetime bests for her. She now ranks 5th all-time among Canadian 16-year-olds in the 100 fly and 3rd all-time in the 50 back.
Cannings is committed to swim at Liberty University in the United States beginning in fall 2023.
Further down the rankings in that 100 fly, Cannings’ 14-year-old teammate Maxine Clark finished 7th in a new best time of 1:00.72, which moves her into the top 10 all-time in the 13-14 age group in Canada.
Etobicoke’s Ella Jansen pulled off a double of her own, winning the 200 free in 1:53.35 and the 400 IM in 4:29.79. Both swims crushed her own personal best of 1:55.50 and 4:34.21, respectively. She now ranks 3rd all-time among Canadian 17-year-olds in both events.
Ella’s time in the 400 IM would have placed her 5th at this week’s World Championships.
Daley was 2nd in the 200 free in 1:55.66 and Cannings was 3rd in 1:57.14, tied with Julie Brousseau. That was the first of Cannings’ three individual events on the day.
Other Day 1 Winners:
- University of Calgary Swim Club finished 1-2 in the boys’ 200 free. Paul Dardis won in 1:45.89 and new Victor Davis Award recipient Aiden Norman was 2nd in 1:46.60.
- Amaris Peng won the girls’ 100 breaststroke in 1:09.08.
- Brayden Taivassalo won the boys’ 100 breaststroke in 1:00.11. The Junior Pan Pacs finalist is committed to swim at one of the top American collegiate programs, the University of Texas, next fall.
- UCSC continued their winning ways when Lorne Wiggington won the 400 IM in 4:09.71, missing Cole Pratt’s Meet Record and national age record by half-a-second. His margin of victory was almost 8 seconds in the race.
- Filip Senc-Samardzic gave the home team Toronto Swim Club their first win of the meet, touching in 53.12 in the men’s 100 fly. He beat out Great Britain’s Reuben Rowbotham-Keating (53.76) and Antonio Rodriguez (53.77).
- The British team got another victory when Matthew Ward won the 50 back, ahead of Aiden Norman (24.53).
Congrats to Laon, Coach Andrew (Lenny) Lennstrom, and the Hyack swim club!
This meet is so fats this year! The second day was just at impressive as the first one! Fingers crossed, Canadian upcoming male generation looks not bad
Ah yes, another Short Course meet for all these wimpy merchants to show off their turns. We need all meets to be long course, it’s what all the major meets are
bruh sc is where it’s at, you’re just mad that u can’t move your hips like me
Short course the reason the new clash meta works rn
Well… There’s this ‘tiny’ meet in Melbourne right now where Maggie has broken 2 🚨 world records🚨 !
Nah but she’s not a merchant cause she’s good long course
I’m a bit confused on how the 200 breast is a 2:00.93 for Kim. That would make him 5th all time in the world. I think that’s a mistake if it’s SCM.
It should be the 200 fly
Sad to see Oakville Aquatic with only 2 swimmers at the meet and a number of their top young prospects are now swimming for missac, MAC and Eswim.
In the men’s 200 free, beyond the huge 1.48.50 swum by 14 year-old Laon Kim, new PBs also for 16 year-old Dardis (1.45.89) and Norman (1.46.60). Promising signals for the future of Canadian 800 free relay.
Wigginton split 1:46.0 later on our 4×200. NAG by 8 seconds. 2 seconds off senior record.
Kim broke another NAG this morning in the 50 Free. 4 so far this weekend (200 Fr twice, 800 TF, 50Fr heat)
Ella would have been 5th at Worlds with that 400 IM time
After a remarkable 1.53.35 in the 200 free (she also swam a 1.53.91 anchor in the 800 free relay?). Definitely great improvements for her.
Give some credit to the current coaching staff at the Ontario High Performance Centre? Also where Javier Acevedo and Finlay Knox, with some outstanding performances at the Worlds, are listed as training.
I was about to add similar note! Quite a few athletes that are attached to HPC Ontario did very well at OJI! Even those few that were recently invited to try this program: Delia Lloyd contributed to 2 national relay records, Max Malakhovets won silver in 200 fly, Eric Ginzburg won 50 free, etc
Brayden Taivassalo, who won both 100 and 200 breast, also trains at HPC Ontario
I couldn’t agree with you more, but I also believe that’s the base expectation from a HPC, they have resources and facilities not found elsewhere.
How about some love for the clubs doing work the old-fashioned way? Calgary was outstanding, Pointe Claire ever present, gen-pop ESWIM with strong swims despite recent turmoil, good presence from Quebec – good to see clubs alive and well after a rough couple of years!
Huge NAG for 🦖🏊♂️ UCSC in the 4×200.
For those who wonder why I post the Dino emoji its literally part our team name. Got downvoted on the Rebecca Smith article for some reason.
#DinoNation