Laon Kim Breaks Another Canadian 13-14 Record, 4-for-4 This Week in Toronto

2023 CANADIAN SWIMMING TRIALS

• March 28 – April 2, 2023
• Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre – Toronto, Ontario
• TPASC
• Long Course Meters
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Stream
• Day 1 Prelims Live Recap | Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Live Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Live Recap

Fourteen-year-old Laon Kim from the Hyack Swim Club in British Columbia continued his decimation of the Canadian Age Group Record books on Thursday morning with a new 13-14 national record in the 50 free.

Kim swam 23.65 to tie for 19th in prelims. With 10 swimmers per final, that swim will bypass the junior final and put him into the B-Final on Thursday evening.

That cracks his own record of 23.81 set in early March. The prior record holder was Josh Liendo, who is Canada’s top current male sprinter, thanks to a 24.27 from 2017. Before Liendo, the record of 24.39 (Yannick Lupien) had stood since 1994.

Kim entered the meet holding the Canadian Age Records for boys from the 50 free through the 800 free. So far this week, he has relowered his record in the 400 free twice (4:01.28 in prelims, 3:56.79 in finals to win); and the 800 free (8:17.16). His first four swims so far at the meet (he scratched prelims of the 100 fly) were 13-14 Records.

Later in Thursday morning’s session, Kim swam to a new best time of 2:07.68 in the 200 IM, undercutting his previous mark of 2:08.57 set earlier this month. However, he still trails Cole Pratt (2:05.26) in the boys’ 13-14 rankings, so his record streak has come to an end.

Kim still has remaining swims in the 100 free, 400 IM, 200 free, and 1500 free. The 1500 free is the only of the freestyle events in which Kim does not hold the Canadian Age Group Record for 13-14s: the legendary Alex Baumann‘s 16:00.93 from 1979 still survives.