15-Year Old Will Browne Goes His First 51-Second 100 Free at Canadian Nationals

2022 SPEEDO CANADIAN JUNIOR & SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

• July 25 – August 1, 2022
• Montreal, Quebec
• Olympic Park & Olympic Rowing Basin
• LCM (50m)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results

15-year old Will Browne cracked 51-seconds in the 100 free for the first time on Thursday evening as the headline of day 4 of the 2022 Speedo Canadian Junior & Senior Championships.

Browne is one of a number of headliners at this meet who live and train in the United States. He works out of Cavalier Aquatics in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Browne won the 14-15 age group in 51.92 after a 52.1 in prelims. His best time coming into the meet was a 53.47 from May.

For Browne, a Canadian citizen, the time makes him just the 8th Canadian to go sub-52 at 15 years old. There are a few very-recognizable names on that list ahead of him, including Tokyo 2020 Olympians Javier Acevedo and Josh Liendo.

The runner-up, Paul Dardis, swam 52.14. He’s the fastest Canadian 15-year old ever in this event with a 50.76 done in April of this year. 14-year old Laon Kim, who broke the Canadian Age Group Record in the 800 free on Wednesday, was 3rd in 52.48.

Kim’s swim is 2nd in Canadian 13-14 age group history, behind only Liendo.

Thursday’s calendar was not very crowded at Canadian Nationals, featuring 4 para races and 4 non-para races including a timed final in the women’s 1500 free.

In that same men’s 100 free, Kent Goni Avila won the 16-18 age group in 51.46, and Blake Tierney won the 19 & over age group in 50.78.

The girls’ 200 fly featured a third individual win in the 15-17 age group from University of Calgary Swim Club’s Kamryn Cannings. She swam 2:14.62. That’s her best time by a second-and-a-half.

She trailed early, but used a big back-half to win pretty comfortably, almost three seconds ahead of the field.

“That was the plan all along,” said Cannings about her strong second half. “I’ve raced these girls since I was so young so I know their strategies and how they swim. They both did amazing but my plan was to work the back half and I thought I did that really well.”

Cannings previously won the 200 free (2:01.49) and 100 fly (1:00.01) this week, in addition to a few relay wins. The 200 free is also a lifetime best for her.

Cannings had the fastest time across all age groups on Thursday.

13-year old Ziyun Liu won the 200 fly in the 13-14 age group in 2:22.76, while Catherine Minic won the 18 & over age group in 2:15.60. That’s a best time for the rising University of Iowa sophomore.

Other Day 4 Winners:

• Oliver Dawson of GPP won the 14-15 boys’ 200 breaststroke in 2:21.33, more than three seconds ahead of the field. That makes him the #3 Canadian 14-year old of all-time in that event.
• Steve Frantskevich won the 16-18 200 breaststroke in 2:17.19, and Jacob Gallant won the senior age group in 2:16.23.
• 13-year old Ziyun Liu won the 13-14 girls’ 1500 free in 17:57.87. That’s an almost-five second drop. Emma Finlin of Edmonton Keyano Swim CLubswam 16:40.90 to win the 15-17 age group with the fastest time of the day, and Megan Willar won the 18 & over group in 17:03.01.

Day 4 Para Winners

• Tyson Jacob, an S5 swimmer, was the only entry in the men’s 50 fly on Thursday, but he wound up breaking the Canadian Record with a 45.65. The previous record of 46.42 was already his and was set earlier this month.
• In the multi-class women’s 50 fly, it was two S7s squaring off. Myriam Soliman won in 43.19, a 758-point swim.
• Angelina Marina won the multi-class women’s 100 fly in 1:10.33. That was a 791-point swim, and the top-scoring swim in the para racing of the day.
• Felix Cowan won the men’s multi-class 100 fly in 1:12.55. He is an S8 classified swimmer