Ilya Kharun set another Canadian swimming record, lowering his mark with a 21.67-second clocking in the men’s 50-metre butterfly at the world short course championships on Wednesday in Budapest, Hungary.
Kharun, whose previous best was 22.28 from this event two years ago in Melbourne, was sixth through 25 metres before touching the wall second.
“That was a much stronger swim than what we saw in the semifinals [when Kharun went 21.93]. He stayed low to the water [and] powerful and that makes me excited about his 100 and 200 fly,” said CBC Sports analyst Brittany MacLean.
A two-time Olympic medallist, the 19-year-old from Montreal is also the 200m national record holder in long course (50m pool) with a time of 1:52.80.
Noe Ponti of Switzerland took Wednesday’s race in a world record 21.32 early six weeks after going 21.50 in Singapore.
Nyls Korstanje of the Netherlands grabbed bronze (21.68).
About 30 minutes later, Kharun joined Ingrid Wilm, Kylie Masse and Finlay Knox to make it seven medals for Canada in two days (four on Tuesday) with silver in the mixed 4×50 medley relay. Their time of 1:35.95 trailed only Neutral Athletes B (1:35.36). The United States took bronze (1:36.20).
Earlier, Wilm picked up her first medal of the day and second consecutive bronze in the women’s 100-metre backstroke at short course worlds.
The 26-year-old was third after 25 metres and remained there at the finish, posting a time of 55.75 seconds.
“It’s proving to me how much having fun [helps] me a great deal when it comes to races, remaining relaxed and ready,” Wilm told CBC Sports’ Devin Heroux in reference to her success this week. “It’s almost vindication for the work I’ve put in.
“Sometimes the hard work doesn’t pay off. When it does, it [inspires] you to get back in the pool and try harder.”
WATCH | Wilm impresses with backstroke bronze in Budapest:
Ingrid Wilm swam the 100-metre backstroke in 55.75 seconds to earn a bronze medal, while Kylie Masse of LaSalle, Ont., finished in sixth place, at the World Aquatics short course championships in Budapest.
Wilm, who won the first of two semifinals in 55.85, gained a measure of revenge against Australia’s Iona Anderson, who was fourth (56.08).
Wilm earned relay bronze Tuesday
They battled for silver down the stretch at long course worlds in February, with Anderson touching the wall first in 59.12 in Doha, Qatar, 6-100ths of a second ahead of Wilm, who earned her first medal at the event.
On Tuesday, Wilm helped Canada to bronze in the women’s 100m freestyle relay. The team clocked 3:28.44 and was 38-100ths shy of the national record held by Rebecca Smith, Taylor Ruck and the now-retired pair of Maggie Mac Neil and Katerine Savard.
WATCH | Wilm says race was ‘never supposed to happen’:
After winning a bronze medal in the women’s 100-metre backstroke, Ingrid Wilm says she gained confidence from Tuesday’s decision to race the women’s 4×100-metre freestyle relay, where she won her first bronze medal at the World Aquatics short course championships in Budapest.
Regan Smith led a 1-2 American finish on Wednesday in a championship record 54.55, followed by Katharine Berkoff.
Masse of LaSalle, Ont., was sixth (56.21) at Duna Arena.
This past summer, she was fourth (58.29) in the 100m backstroke final at the Paris Olympics, 31-100ths shy of a medal.
Masse, 28, has medalled at each world championship and Olympics over nine years.
Tierney 16th in Olympic debut
In the men’s 100 backstroke, Saskatoon’s Blake Tierney lowered the Canadian record to 49.39 in a fifth-place finish.
Javier Acevedo set the previous mark of 49.71 on Nov. 5, 2022 in Indianapolis.
Tierney was fourth through 25 metres but slipped to fifth and stayed there until the finish.
At his Olympic debut in Paris, he qualified for the semifinals and placed 16th overall.
Tierney was also a member of Canada’s men’s 4x100m medley relay and mixed 4x100m medley relay teams that finished fifth.
WATCH | Devin Heroux, Brittany MacLean recap Tuesday’s action from Hungary:
The quartet of Penny Oleksiak, Ingrid Wilm, Summer McIntosh and Mary-Sophie Harvey won bronze in the women’s 4×100-metre freestyle relay, to cap a four-medal opening day for Canada at the World Aquatics short course championships in Budapest.
