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Liendo, Newkirk set Canadian records on final day of Bell Canadian Swimming Trials

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VICTORIA –  Joshua Liendo and Shelby Newkirk both set Canadian records Sunday at the Bell Canadian Swimming Trials while Kelsey Wog qualified for FINA World Championships on the final day of the meet.

Liendo swam a blistering 21.63 seconds to win the 50-metre freestyle. That broke the old record of 21.73 set by Brent Hayden 13 years ago and was the second fastest time in the world this year in the event.

“I felt good in the morning swim so I was ready to come and do something special tonight,” said the Markham, Ont., native who trains at the High Performance Centre – Ontario.

Liendo was a teammate with Hayden at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and part of the 4×100-metre relay that finished fourth.

“We always joked and talked about the record,” said Liendo. “It was cool to get it.”

Liendo was named  the Olympic swimmer of the meet for breaking his own Canadian record in the 100-m butterfly.

Summer McIntosh, of the HPC – Ontario, was named female Olympic swimmer of the meet for breaking her own Canadian record in the 400-m freestyle .

Yuri Kisil, who also trains at the High Performance Centre – Ontario, was second in 22.17, leaving him .01 under the qualifying time needed for the world championships.

Shelby Newkirk, who trains with the Saskatoon Lasers, swam a S6 Canadian record time of 1:20.76 in the Para multi-class 100-m backstroke. It was Newkirk’s fifth Canadian record of the meet.

“I knew this was the last race and I wanted to leave it all in the pool,” said Newkirk. “I went out strong, it definitely hurt, but I’m so proud of the result.”

Danielle Dorris, who swims for the High Performance Centre – Quebec, was named female Para swimmer of the meet for her victory in the S7 50-m butterfly.

Nicholas Bennett, of the High Performance Centre – Quebec, was the male Para swimmer of the meet for his Canadian record swim in the S14 200-m freestyle. Bennett set four records during the meet.

Wog, who trains with the University of Manitoba Bisons, won the 200-metre breaststroke in two minutes, 24.87 seconds, which was over a second under the qualifying time for the worlds.

“I had to be patient and wait my turn until the very last day to do it,” said the 23-year-old Winnipeg native who competed at last summer’s Tokyo Olympics.

“It’s been a tough (meet) and a tough year in general. I’m really proud to be able to step up on the blocks and qualify.”

Rachel Nichol of the University of Calgary Swim Club was second in 2:26.75 followed by Tessa Cieplucha of the Markham Aquatic Club in 2:28.49.

James Dergousoff, who trains with the UL Wolves Swim Club, won the men’s 200 breast in 1:38.91, which was over the qualifying time.

Kayla Sanchez picked up her second victory of the week by winning the women’s 50-m freestyle in 24.93 seconds. The 20-year-old Scarborough, Ont., native who trains at the High Performance Centre – Ontario, also won the 100-m freestyle.

“The 50 free isn’t a huge focus of mine but I love to race it because it helps me get my speed,” she said. “I’m always trying to be faster. I got another win under my belt.”

Katrina Bellio of Etobicoke Swimming won the 800-metres in 8:38.90 to qualify for the world championships.

“It’s as good as I could have hoped to finish off the weekend,” said the 17-year-old who swam the 1,500 metres at the Tokyo Games. “This was a big stepping stone to know what I have to do next to prepare. I hope to get faster and stronger overall.”

Eric Brown of the Point-Claire Swim Club won the grueling 1,500 metres in 15:17.46.

“It was a tough race,” said Brown, who also won the 800 metres. “The focus of this meet was that race.

“It was tough, especially swimming alone at the end. I would have liked to have gone a bit faster, but it’s April so I’m happy with those results.”

Alec Elliott, who swims for CNQ, won the men’s 100-metre multi-class backstroke in 1:03.02, under the qualifying time for the world Para swimming championships.

Prior to the start of the meet the medals were awarded in the Para 150-m individual medley raced Saturday night.

Niki Ens, who trains with the Saskatoon Lasers, swam a Canadian record time of 3:03.51.

She credited her record to “inspiring coaches who ensure we are disciplined even when it’s tough.”

Ens said her week went well.

“It feels pretty good,” she said. “There’s room for improvement but exciting to get back to bigger meets.”

The trials, held at Saanich Commonwealth Place, attracted 552 swimmers from 131 clubs across the country. The competition selected the Swimming Canada teams competing at the FINA World Championships in June in Budapest, Hungary; the Commonwealth Games in July in Birmingham, England; and the World Para Swimming Championships scheduled for June in Madeira, Portugal.

All sessions were streamed live on CBC Sports, with commentary for the finals from former national team swimmers Jasen Pratt and Sarah Mailhot.

Also selected were squads heading to the Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Hawaii and the FINA World Junior Open Water Swimming Championships in Seychelles.

For more information visit: https://www.swimming.ca/en/events-results/events/2022-canadian-swimming-trials/