Watch Maggie MacNeil Hit A 56.14 100 Butterfly, #2 In The World This Season

Take5 High Performance Event

  • Toronto Pan American Sports Center, Toronto, Canada
  • May 26-28, 2021
  • Long Course Meters (50m)
  • Results on MM: “Take5 HP Event”
  • Live Results

2019 World Champion in the women’s 100 butterfly Maggie MacNeil swam a 56.14 in the event during a May 27, 2021 time trial at the High-Performance Centre in Toronto, Ontario. That swim for MacNeil gives her the #2 rank in the world over the past year, trailing only China’s Zhang Yufei who swam a 55.62 back in August 2020.

2020-2021 LCM Women 100 Fly

2Zhang
Yufei
CHN55.6209/29
3Torri
Huske
USA55.6606/14
4Emma
McKeon
AUS55.7207/25
5Marie
Wattel
FRA56.1607/24
View Top 26»

The swim allows MacNeil to join Americans Claire Curzan and Torri Huske and Australia’s Emma McKeon in the top 5 while she pushes Swedish swimmer Louise Hansson to the 6th spot with her 56.73 from April 2021.

Check out a video of MacNeil’s 56.14 100 butterfly here:

MacNeil opened the race up with a 26.4 on the first 50, coming back in a 29.7 on the back half. With the swim, she has improved upon her previous season-best of 57.55 which she set in May at a time trial hosted by the high-performance center earlier this season.

Maggie made the trip back to Toronto to train with the group lead by ben Titley in the lead-up to the Olympics this summer. MacNeil returned to Canada after a successful junior season at the University of Michigan during which she took gold at the NCAA Championships in a 48.89 in the 100 fly, setting a new NCAA record. MacNeil also won gold in the 100 free (46.02) and silver in the 50 free (21.17).

MacNeil has been training with the University of Michigan since the fall of 2018 under head coach Mike Bottom and in the training group led by associate head coach Rick Bishop.

Coming out of her debut season at Michigan, MacNeil topped the podium with a 55.83 to Sarah Sjostrom‘s 56.22 and Emma McKeon‘s 55.61. That swim lowered the Canadian record and well as the ‘Americas’ record which accounts for the fastest swim ever by a swimmer from either North or South America. MacNeil’s swim also gave her a Commonwealth record in the event and was just shy of Sarah Sjostrom‘s championship record of 55.53 from 2017.

The win for MacNeil was enough for Swimming Canada to name her as one of 6 auto-qualifiers for the 2020 Olympic Games which they announced earlier this year. Also among those who were pre-selected are Penny Oleksiak, Taylor Ruck, Sydney Pickrem, Kylie Masse, and Markus Thormeyer. Canadian Olympic Trials will take place in June and while she’s qualified already for the 100 fly, MacNeil will likely be competing for a spot on the Olympic team in the 100 freestyle and could potentially contest the 100 back and/or 50 freestyle as well.

Also so far this week, MacNeil has swum a lifetime best of 54.06 in the 100 free, which undercuts her previous best of 54.27 done earlier this month. She finished 2nd in that race to the defending Olympic co-champion Penny Oleksiak, who swam 53.67. Rebecca Smith was 3rd in 54.54, Taylor Ruck was 4th in 54.76, Sydney Pickrem was 5th in 55.41, and backstroke World Champion Kylie Masse was 6th in 56.11.

Rebecca Smith was 2nd in the 100 fly in 58.82 and Masse was 3rd in 58.93.

Neither Masse nor MacNeil swam in the women’s 100 back race on Thursday,

Other notable swims so far:

  • 2016 Olympian Emily Overholt swam 2:12.65 in the 200 fly, 2:00.83 in the 200 free, and is scheduled to swim the 400 IM on Friday.
  • Mack Darragh swam 2:00.37 in the 200 fly to lead that race. The 2nd-place finisher was 17-year old Benjamin Loewen of Crest Swimming in 2:01.16, which whacked over 4 seconds off his personal best time. That’s within 2 seconds of Darragh’s 15-17 National Age Group Record of the event, which is a 1:59.31 set in 2011.
  • Veteran Brent Hayden, racing his first long course meet in over a year, won the men’s 100 free in 49.19. He’s scheduled to race his specialty, the 50 free, where he’s already hit an Olympic “A” cut, on Friday.
  • 16-year old ESwimmer Katrina Bellio won the women’s 1500 free in a best time of 16:34.99, with UBC’s Kate Sanderson touching 2nd in 16:37.69. Those are both lifetime bests.
  • The country’s lone pre-qualified male Olympic swimmer Markus Thormeyer swam 53.80 in the 100 back – missing his personal best by half a second. He also raced to a 49.48 in the 100 free and is scheduled to swim the 200 back on Friday.
  • Penny Oleksiak led the field in the women’s 200 free, touching in 1:57.54. That’s just .18 seconds short of what she did at the time trial event earlier this month. Ruck was 2nd in 1:59.71, and Overholt was 3rd in 2:00.83.
  • Rising Canadian IM prospect Finlay Knox showed off a new dimension by swimming 1:49.53 in the 200 free – a best time by more than 3 seconds. Ruslan Gaziev came 2nd in 1:49.65, which was a best time for him as well – though by three tenths.

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Michael
2 years ago

It’s everybody’s game in my opinion!Never counting out of our two Americans! They’re going to shock everyone in Tokyo!

Go, Summer, go!
2 years ago

What did I tell you about Summer last time?! She is lethal at any distance from 200 to 1500! Plus fly. Plus IM. And 3 months to go till her next BD! What a pleasure to see Summer racing!
Gog, keep her healthy!!!

PS. It was very interesting to re-watch Ben Titley’s recent interview. This guy knows what he’s doing :-)))))

LaBlom
Reply to  Go, Summer, go!
2 years ago

link? thanks!

Dee
Reply to  Go, Summer, go!
2 years ago

He’s a brilliant coach, a huge loss when he left British Swimming. Glad to see him doing so well in Canada.

Troyy
2 years ago

Nothing too exciting in the women’s 100 and 200 free.

Neil Jones
2 years ago

I’m not sure what I’m most impressed with, and that’s a good internal debate to have:
* Maggie with a super snappy 56.1 just off her life time best to win worlds
* Summer obliterating another age group record with that 405, dare it be said that Penny, Maggie, Taylor etc are ‘old’ by comparison!
* and a 37yr Hayden after less then 2yrs of come back training dropping a 48.4! His non suit lifetime best I believe is 47.8, and I think his 2007 worlds win was around 48.5!!

Lucy the golden
Reply to  Neil Jones
2 years ago

Three way tie. Watched Maggie swim and summer. They are in a league of their own. They both looked effortless. And these results are not after a taper. I missed the relay. But how cool was this? Does anyone have a video of the boys 4×100?

imagine what Maggie and summer will be like tapered and with serious competition? Fast for sure.

Ondulation Fabio
Reply to  Neil Jones
2 years ago

Hayden tied with Magnini for the win in 2007, both going 48.43. Such longevity …

Yozhik
2 years ago

Why is Taylor Ruck so slow. I am not expecting 52 sec in 100. And not even 53 sec. But 54.76 ??
That explains her 1:59.71 in 200 where the first half was just 57.70.
Well, there is no reason to push herself when Trials are just a few weeks away. But compare her results with the results of her teammates who are in the same situation she is slow.

oxyswim
Reply to  Yozhik
2 years ago

It’s concerning for sure. When she was at her best a few years ago she had a stretch of going fast at just about every meet

Justin
Reply to  oxyswim
2 years ago

I think she will be fine, maybe she isn’t on her tapper yet either. We don’t exactly know what her training schedule has been like. She looks fit like the rest of the girls. We will see what she puts up for times in trials.

Swimmom3112
Reply to  Yozhik
2 years ago

People like you are the reason why the internet causes such harm to swimmers mental health. Make your observation and deal with it, either way she is Canada’s only woman flat start to go 1:54 she deserves her respect, trials has not even happened yet and you seem to just enjoy putting her down. The woman is a pending Stanford graduate, Two-time Olympian, Olympic medallist, etc. The most critical people are just JEALOUS Go Canada!

Troyy
Reply to  Swimmom3112
2 years ago

They are pro athletes and need to be able to deal with expectations and people discussing them in much the same way as other sports. If they cann’t deal with people discussing their performances then they need to get themselves a sports psychologist.

Fraser Thorpe
Reply to  Swimmom3112
2 years ago

Nope. There are many times Yozhik has deserved to be called out. This is not one of them.

Rafael
2 years ago

3:13:09 4×100 time trial with hayden opening 48,47

Jesh
Reply to  Rafael
2 years ago

Fastest Canadian relay time in a few years that I can remember. Just over a seconds
faster than the Rio final

Rafael
Reply to  Jesh
2 years ago

Can fight for last spot with france and japan
Usa russia australia italy Brazil gbr and Hungary are pretty much a lock

Swimming fan
Reply to  Rafael
2 years ago

It doesn’t work like that. Top 12 from last world championships automatically secure spots (meaning countries on your list already have spots). Canada was fighting for one of four wildcard spots – and have done it with this swim. Well done – especially under difficult circumstances.

Rafael
Reply to  Swimming fan
2 years ago

I am talking about last spot on OG finals

Swimming fan
Reply to  Rafael
2 years ago

Ahhh. Makes more sense now. We were focused on qualifying spot – you were a step ahead!

Last edited 2 years ago by Swimming fan
Joris Bohnson
Reply to  Rafael
2 years ago

Hayden looking good at 37 !

Last edited 2 years ago by Joris Bohnson
Jesh
2 years ago

Summer McIntosh dropping a 4:05 in the 400 free is insane

Yozhik
Reply to  Jesh
2 years ago

Her time at first 200m in this race was just 0.3 sec short of Ruck’s time in 200FR event.

Aquajosh
Reply to  Jesh
2 years ago

That’s your Swim of the Week right there. Second time she’s swam faster than a Sippy NAG record too. Both of them are over 40 years old now!

TheJudga
Reply to  Jesh
2 years ago

What was Ledecky at 14?

Bruh
Reply to  TheJudga
2 years ago

4:09.30 at the 2012 Pro Swim – Missouri on 2/10/2012

Bruh
Reply to  Bruh
2 years ago

Will note she was 4:04.34 in London which was like 190 days later

Yozhik
Reply to  Bruh
2 years ago

And it wasn’t 400 event. It was the first half of 800 race.

Yozhik
Reply to  TheJudga
2 years ago

The better match for Summer McIntosh isn’t Ledecky right now but Li Bingjie in 2017.

Bruh
Reply to  Yozhik
2 years ago

Idk how old summer is but she is still comparable to ledecky cuz ledecky went 4:04 at 15 and like 4 months

Yozhik
Reply to  Bruh
2 years ago

In 2012 at Trials (15y 3m) Ledecky was 4:05
In 1.5 month she swam the first half of 800 race at 4:04. So I assume that should she race 400 event in London she could do it by something around 4:01

David
2 years ago

Maggie McNeil is truly great. It looks like her turnover is crazy fast without losing any efficiency. Is that right?

Coach Mike 1952
Reply to  David
2 years ago

She looked quite smooth her first 50

Bruh
Reply to  Coach Mike 1952
2 years ago

And her second underwater

Lucy the golden
Reply to  Bruh
2 years ago

Isn’t she known for her incredible underwaters? This is how she wins the 100 fly on her second 50 underwaters.