Richards Sizzles With Sprint Double, Pratt, Liendo, McIntosh Smash NAGs At OJI

2019 ONTARIO JUNIOR INTERNATIONAL

• December 13-15, 2019
• Toronto, Ontario
• Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre
• 25m (SCM)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Stream

It was another very fast day of racing at the Ontario Junior International meet in Toronto, as three meet records went down in addition to some Canadian and British age marks.

After a very impressive win last night in the 200 freestyle, tying the meet record in 1:43.64, Great Britain’s Matt Richards had another outstanding showing on night two.

The 16-year-old first broke the men’s 50 free meet record in the prelims, clocking 21.65 to erase Joshua Liendo‘s 21.67 mark from last year. Richards lowered it again in the final, getting all the way down to 21.38.

Liendo won silver in 21.45, taking down his Canadian 15-17 age record set last year (that same 21.67).

Richards followed up later in the session by winning the men’s 50 fly, clocking 23.27 to edge out Finlay Knox (23.47).

Also completing the 50 double was last night’s 100 fly winner Hanna Henderson of Etobicoke, who claimed the women’s 50 free (24.90) and 50 fly (26.83).

Her swim in the 50 free was almost a full second under her best coming into the meet of 25.81, having dropped down to 25.08 in the prelims before breaking into the 24s tonight. Then in the 50 fly, she cracked 27 for the first time officially after taking her 100 out in 26.98 on night one.

In addition to Liendo, Summer McIntosh and Cole Pratt also set new Canadian NAGs on the night, just like they did on day one.

McIntosh had an incredible win in the women’s 200 fly, posting a time of 2:10.40 to take out Emily Overholt‘s 2012 13-14 NAG of 2:12.12. The 13-year-old McIntosh came into the day with a PB of 2:18.03, and had taken three seconds off that in the heats (2:15.01) before chopping another four and a half off in the finals.

Pratt, who scratched the final of the 200 fly at the start of the session, blasted a 51.57 to win the men’s 100 backstroke, erasing Javier Acevedo‘s 2015 meet and 15-17 NAG of 51.63 off the books. Pratt’s old best was 52.70 from last month.

OTHER WINNERS

• GBR’s Edward Mildred went wire-to-wire in the men’s 200 fly, clocking 1:55.48 to lower his best of 1:55.85 in the heats.
• 15-year-old Regan Rathwell of the Greater Ottawa Kingfish won the women’s 100 back in a time of 59.08 after going sub-1:00 for the first time in prelims (59.92). Great Britain’s Medi Harris was second in 1:00.16.
• Etobicoke’s Katrina Bellio topped the women’s 400 free field in 4:08.14, going well under her previous best of 4:10.71 set last month. Brit Tamryn Van Selm was the runner-up in 4:12.14.
• After opening the meet with a win in the 800 on day one, Nepean’s David Quirie picked up a second victory in the men’s 400 free, blasting back-to-back best times in prelims (3:49.89) and finals (3:48.14). Whitby’s Alexander Axon took second in 3:50.80.
• Emma Spence of Team Sask won the women’s 200 breaststroke in 2:28.70, just off her morning swim of 2:28.11.
• 18-year-old Kyle Booth of Great Britain had a strong showing to the men’s 200 breast in 2:09.90, holding his final three 50s within 0.13 of each other (33.23/33.36/33.33). Kenora’s Gabe Mastromatteo, who won the 100 last night, touched second in 2:11.35, using a 32.82 last 50 to edge out Pointe-Claire’s Moncef Balamane (2:11.59).
• The Etobicoke women made it 2-for-2 in the relays as they claimed the 4×100 free in a time of 3:43.10. Bellio, McIntosh and Henderson were joined by Elan Daley. Henderson’s 54.01 was the fastest split in the field.
• The Pointe-Claire men followed suit, winning their second straight relay in the men’s 4×100 free. Edouard Fullum-Huot led off in 50.11, and then Stanford Li, Maxim Maximenco and Patrick Hussey all went 51 as they touched first by over three seconds. Quirie had the fastest flying split in the field for Nepean in 50.08.