Maxine Clark Nears Oleksiak’s 100 Fly 13-14 NAG To Open Canadian Championships

2022 SPEEDO CANADIAN JUNIOR & SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Budding University of Calgary Swim Club star Maxine Clark continued her ascent up the Canadian age group rankings on Monday, kicking off the 2022 national championships in Montreal with a blistering swim in the girls’ 100 butterfly.

Clark produced a time of 1:00.18, dropping her previous best and now former Alberta Provincial Record by nearly a second while moving into #2 all-time in the 13-14 age group among Canadians.

The recently-turned 14-year-old set a new Alberta Provincial Record (for 14-year-olds) of 1:01.13 earlier this month at the Edmonton Keyano International meet, and is now just 15 one-hundredths back of the National Age Group Record after getting down to 1:00.18.

She trails only seven-time Olympic medalist Penny Oleksiak, who clocked 1:00.03 at the age of 14 in 2015, just over a year before claiming silver in the 100 fly at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

Clark, who previously ranked sixth all-time in the 13-14 age group, overtakes some accomplished names with her swim: 2016 Olympians Noemie Thomas and Chantal van Landeghem, and multi-time World Junior champion Jade Hannah.

All-Time Canadian Rankings, Girls’ 13-14 100 Butterfly (LCM)

  1. Penny Oleksiak (TSC), 1:00.03 – 2015 Canadian Swimming Trials
  2. Maxine Clark (UCSC), 1:00.18 – 2022 Canadian Championships
  3. Noemie Thomas (WDSC), 1:00.20 – 2010 Junior Pan Pacs
  4. Jade Hannah (HTAC), 1:00.69 – 2016 Canadian Olympic Trials
  5. Chantal van Landeghem (MANTA), 1:00.92 – 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival

Clark heads into the final in the girls’ 13-14 age group with the top seed by more than three and a half seconds, with Hyack’s Paige Korbely sitting second at 1:03.77. Korbely’s best time sits at 1:03.28, set just over a week ago.

Clark’s UCSC teammate Kamryn Cannings was the only swimmer faster than the 14-year-old in the preliminary heats, as Cannings clocked in at 59.89 for the top seed in the girls’ 15-17 age group.

This is the third time Cannings has broken 1:00 in her career, having done so twice at the Canadian World Trials in April. Her best of 59.74 ranks 11th all-time in the girls’ 15-17 age group.

Putting up the second-fastest time for 15-17 girls was Langley Olympians Swim Club member Leilani Fack, who touched in 1:00.54 to near her best of 1:00.46 set in April. Just 15, Fack trails only Noemie Thomas (59.39) and Jade Hannah (1:00.24) among 15-year-olds in the all-time British Columbia rankings.

Clark’s swim in the 13-14 age group ended up being the faster than the top time in the 18 & over category, as Danielle Hanus led the pack in 1:00.47, followed by Brooklyn Douthwright (1:00.48).

Douthwright’s time knocked nearly a full second off her New Brunswick Provincial Record of 1:01.40 set in June.

OTHER EVENTS

  • W 50 BK – 2022 World Championship finalist Ingrid Wilm paced the field in the women’s 50 backstroke, putting up a time of 28.13 to lead GO Kingfish’s Regan Rathwell (28.59). Wilm placed fourth at the World Championships last month in Budapest and set a best time of 27.39 in the semi-finals. The stroke 50-meter events will be raced in an open category rather than the age group format the other events have.
  • M 50 BK – A trio of male swimmers were sub-27 in the 50 back heats, led by CAMO’s Loic Courville Fortin in 26.66. The 18-year-old won the event at the Canadian Trials in April in a personal best time of 25.98.
  • M 200 IM – UBC’s Brodie Young put up the fastest time in the men’s 19 & over 200 IM, touching in 2:05.85. Swimming unattached, Will Browne, who swims for Cavalier Aquatics/Piedmont Family YMCA in the U.S., blasted a 2:06.75 to lead the boys’ 14-15 200 IM, taking more than three seconds off his previous best of 2:09.85. Erik Linseisen, who is also from the U.S. but is making the move to McGill University, leads the 16-18 age group in 2:07.08.
  • M 400 FR – 17-year-old Yu Tong (Adam) Wu leads the boys’ 16-18 400 free in a time of 4:01.39, followed by UCSC’s Lorne Wigginton (4:03.98). Wu, who swims for the Surrey Knights, owns a best time of 3:54.81, which he set en route to finishing fifth at the World Trials in April. Xavier Pimentel of Natation Gatineau (NG) paced the 19+ age group in 4:02.84, while HYACK’s 14-year-old stud Laon Kim posted the top time by three seconds for the 14-15s (4:09.41). Kim’s current best time of 4:09.14, set in late May, ranks him as the fastest Canadian 13-year-old of all-time.
  • W 400 IM – Canadian Olympian Bailey Andison posted the top time in the women’s 18 & over 400 IM in 4:49.97, followed closely by Regan Rathwell (4:50.39). Andison was fifth in this event at the World Trials earlier this year in a season-best of 4:44.56, and owns a lifetime best of 4:38.66. Edmonton Keyano’s Emma Finlin leads the 15-17 age group by nearly five seconds in 4:52.97, while Canadian Dolphin Swim Club’s Liu Ziyun topped the 13-14s in 5:09.73.
  • M 100 BR – UBC’s Justice Migneault clocked 1:02.41 to lead the men’s 19 & over 100 breast, having set a PB of 1:01.73 at the Canadian Trials in April. Migneault and Gabe Mastromatteo, who advanced third in 1:03.16, tied for second in the final of those trials with matching 1:01.75s. The fifth-fastest qualifier, Brayden Hemeon of the Saskatoon Goldfins, set a new Saskatchewan Provincial Record in 1:03.47, improving on his previous mark of 1:03.54 set earlier this month. Ramac’s Steve Frantskevich leads the 16-18s in 1:03.92, while Oliver Dawson of the Grand Prairie Piranhas dropped his best time down by seven-tenths to pace the 14-15s in 1:07.02.

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Bo Swims
2 years ago
bob
2 years ago

Maxine Clark..thats a great 100 fly and in prelims.Is Mike Blondal her coach and is he the best coach in Canada now?

Bo Swims
Reply to  bob
2 years ago

She swims with Dave MacDonald and Carl Simonson (not sure which of them is primary at the moment, but she has been with Dave for a couple of years), Mike has the Varsity and older international swimmers… The recent success of our kids is a team effort from our staff.

bob
Reply to  Bo Swims
2 years ago

thanks for that..watched her final on rec tec,congrats to her on the new record!

Bo Swims
Reply to  bob
2 years ago

I’ll pass it on 👍

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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