Canadian swimmer Ilya Kharun clinched his second consecutive gold medal at the World Cup finale in Toronto, triumphing in the men’s 50-meter butterfly final on Saturday. Hailing from Montreal, Kharun, who secured victory in the 200m butterfly the previous day, finished with a time of 21.80 seconds, narrowly beating Switzerland’s Noe Ponti, the current short-course world record holder, by a mere one one-hundredth of a second. Toronto’s Josh Liendo took the bronze with a personal best time of 21.91.
Expressing his joy, Kharun remarked, “It means a great deal. I anticipated a tight race, and I am overjoyed that I emerged victorious. I am at a loss for words.” The 20-year-old swimmer earned $10,000 US for his triumph in the 50m butterfly across all three World Cup events, a feat he also accomplished in the 200m butterfly category.
Kharun’s outstanding performances contributed significantly to Canada’s success in the World Cup, securing 12 podium finishes out of the country’s 25 and claiming seven out of the ten wins in the tour that included competitions in Carmel, Ind., and Westmont, Ill. He ranked fifth in the men’s standings in Toronto and fourth overall, accumulating total earnings of $54,500.
In addition to his recent achievements, Kharun started the Toronto meet by clinching a bronze in the 50m freestyle and later secured a silver behind Liendo in the 100m butterfly on the same day. The competition between Kharun and Liendo, both national team teammates, provided an exciting spectacle for their fans at the Pan Am Sports Centre, known as “Canada’s fastest pool.”
On the other hand, Liendo, who claimed three gold medals in Toronto, finished ninth overall and earned a total prize money of $25,000. Notably, the 23-year-old swimmer set a new world record in the 100m butterfly with a time of 47.68, an achievement he was pleasantly surprised by and aims to build upon for the rest of the season.
The World Cup event in Toronto witnessed several world records being shattered, with five records broken in total. Among these, Australia’s Lani Pallister set a new world record in the women’s 800m freestyle, surpassing Katie Ledecky’s previous record. Pallister’s dominant performance was well ahead of world-record pace, securing the top spot ahead of New Zealand swimmers Erika Fairweather and Caitlin Deans. Mary-Sophie Harvey from Trois-Rivières, Que., finished fourth with a personal best time in the same event.
Australia’s Kaylee McKeown, American Kate Douglass, Hungary’s Hubert Kos, and the Netherlands’ Caspar Corbeau were the other swimmers who set world records during the competition. Several Canadian swimmers narrowly missed podium finishes, including Ingrid Wilm from Calgary, Finlay Knox from Okotoks, and Alexanne Lepage and Taylor Ruck from British Columbia.