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
Will Browne started off the first finals session of the 2022 Canadian Championships by winning the men’s 14-15 200 IM with a time of 2:05.67. The 15-year-old touched the wall with nearly a four-second lead over the field, the same margin of time he took off of his lifetime best time. He outdid his prelims swim of 2:06.75 which already beat his fastest time from July 2021 by about three seconds. Browne competed unattached, but he trains with Cavalier Aquatics/Piedmont Family YMCA in the U.S. Kent Goni Avila of Ramac Aquatic Club won the 16-18 event (2:05.17) while UBC’s Brodie Young won the 19 & over event (2:03.60). This was Goni Avila’s first time under 2:06.00 and Young took nearly one second off his lifetime best time from 2019.
In the second event of the night, Maxine Clark became the first 13-14-year-old under 1:00 in the women’s 100 fly (you can read more about her swim here.)
Hyack Swim Club’s Laon Kim was another young star of the session, winning the men’s 400 free 14-15 event in a time of 4:05.71. Kim crushed his lifetime best time from May, a time that ranked him as the fastest Canadian 13-year-old of all time, by 3.4 seconds. In the 16-18 category, Adam Wu from Surrey Knights Swim Club touched the wall first at 3:56.53 as the only swimmer in the heat under the 4:00.00 mark.
“It was a very exciting race,” Wu told Swimming Canada, explaining that he was aiming for the national record. “It didn’t go as well as I had planned. But it was great to get to race against my teammates and see where everyone’s at before we head to Hawaii.” Wu, who has committed to Columbia University for the fall of 2022, came within two seconds of his lifetime best time from April. He is one of the multiple swimmers at this meet who will represent Canada at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Hawaii.
UCSC’s Nathan Versluys swam the fastest men’s 400 free 19 & over time (3:59.68), right on his fastest time.
Canadian Olympian Bailey Andison put on a show in the women’s 19 & over 400 IM, winning the race with a four-second lead over the field. She touched the wall at 4:45.26, nearly matching her season-best time of 4:44.56 which earned her 5th place at the World Trials in April. Edmonton Keyano Swim Club’s Emma Finlin shaved one second off her best time from April to win the 15-17 event (4:49.48) while Canadian Dolphin Swim Club 13-year-old Ziyun Liu won the 13-14 event in 5:03.27. Liu cracked her best time by nearly four seconds.
In the women’s 50 backstroke, Ingrid Wilm of Cascade Swim Club posted the fastest time (27.66) by coming within one-third of a second of the lifetime best time she set in the semifinals of the 2022 World Championships where she ultimately placed 4th.
“It was okay swim,” Wilm told Swimming Canada, adding that she tried to improve her technique on the finish from Worlds. “In the Worlds final, I took an extra stroke, so I was much too close to the wall. In this one I glided into the touch, so I was a little far. So hopefully next time I swim the 50 back it’ll be just great and I’ll be truly happy with my race.” Note that stroke-50’s will be contested as open category events, rather than the other events whose finals are separated by age group.
The men’s 100 breast was an exciting race where UBCT’s Justice Migneault out touched Olympian Gabe Mastromatteo by .33 to win the 19 & over event in 1:02.00. Migneault told Swimming Canada he focused on lengthening out his stroke to reduce his stroke count from his prelims swim. “It wasn’t a best time, but I’m happy with my performance,” he said.
In the 16-18 final, RAMAC’s Steve Frantskevich touched the wall first (1:03.32). 14-year-olds Oliver Dawson of GPP and Joshua Wall of RAPID dueled in the 14-15 category where Dawson finished with a time of 1:06.38 and Wall posted a 1:06.53 to claim 2nd place.
Two-time Paralympian Abi Tripp of Club Natation Région de Quebec crushed her prelims time by about five seconds in the women’s 100 breast SB4-SB9, SB11-SB14 to win the event with a time of 1:39.82. In an interview with Swimming Canada, she shouted out her teammates Justine Morrier and Angela Marina who competed with her at the 2022 Para World Championships. They finished 2nd and 3rd in this race.
“Myself, I was very happy with my race tonight,” Tripp said. “It’s still a work in progress getting the breaststroke to where I want it to be. I’ll take this though. It’s part of the process.”
Other Events:
- M 50 back – Club Aquatique Montreal’s Loic Courville Fortin clocked 26.47 to win the men’s 50 back, out touching UCSC’s Richie Stokes who placed 2nd (26.79). Fortin’s best time still stands at 25.98 which he posted to win the event at the Canadian Team Trials in April.
- W 50 breast SB2-SB3 – Variety Village Aquatic Club’s Aly Van Wyck-Smart touched the wall first with a time of 1:54.28, taking nearly 4 seconds off her prelims time. She was the only entrant in this event.
- M 100 breast SB4-SB9, SB11-SB14 – Upper Canada’s Jagdev Gill posted the top time (1:22.85), 3.5 seconds faster than his prelims race.