The 2023 Canadian Trials is currently underway and has been the talk of the town among swimming enthusiasts. On Day 3, the preliminaries have taken the center stage, and athletes from across the country are vying for a place in the finals. With top swimmers competing in various events, the stakes are high, and the excitement is palpable. In this article, we will take you through a live recap of the Day 3 preliminaries of the 2023 Canadian Trials, giving you a glimpse of the highlights and the athletes who shone on this competitive stage. So, buckle up and join us as we take you through an enthralling journey of the Canadian Trials.
The 2023 Canadian Swimming Trials continued on Thursday morning with a full lineup of prelims. Summer McIntosh, just over 36 hours removed from breaking the world record in the women’s 400m freestyle, returned to the pool to compete in the 200m individual medley heats. The prelims also featured the events for the 50m freestyle and 100m breaststroke, along with the 50m butterfly and 100m freestyle for para athletes.
Maggie MacNeil and Josh Liendo, winners of the 100m butterfly on Wednesday night, were among the headliners for the 50m freestyle fields. While Sydney Pickrem and Brayden Taivassalo, winners of the 200m breaststroke on Tuesday, were expected to be among the favorites for the women’s and men’s 100m breaststroke, respectively. Pickrem was also entered in both the 100m breaststroke and 200m IM heats.
Notably, Danielle Dorris, the reigning Paralympic and Para world champion in the S7 50m butterfly, led the multi-class event prelims, while Tyson Jacob was the lone swimmer in the men’s multi-class 50m butterfly event. The session also saw Laon Kim continuing his record-breaking barrage, setting a new Canadian NAG record for 13-14 boys in the men’s 50m freestyle heats.
In the women’s 100m breaststroke heats, Sophie Angus impressed by clocking the fastest time and qualifying for the final by nearly eight-tenths of a second. She was followed by Sydney Pickrem, Rachel Nicol and Kelsey Wog, who will be vying to earn a spot on the Canadian women’s 400m medley relay this summer. Meanwhile, in the men’s 100m breaststroke heats, Brayden Taivassalo claimed the top seed for the final and crushed his personal best time, followed by James Dergousoff and Gabe Mastromatteo.
Summer McIntosh continued her impressive performance, advancing to the 200m IM final with the top time of 2:11.28, while Sydney Pickrem took second place. The session concluded with the finals qualifiers for each event, setting the stage for an exciting evening of competition.
As we conclude our live recap of the 2023 Canadian Trials Day 3 Prelims, we can only anticipate what thrilling events are on the horizon. This year’s trials have certainly delivered on their promise of showcasing the best talent in Canadian swimming right now, and the future looks bright. With the finals coming up soon, it’ll be interesting to see who will come out on top and secure their spot on the Canadian National Team. Keep following along with us for all the latest news and results from these exciting trials!
