Canada’s Josh Liendo wins record-tying 4th straight NCAA swimming title in 100-yard freestyle

Canadian Olympian Josh Liendo capped an historic week of swimming on the NCAA championships on Saturday in Atlanta.

The University of Florida Gators senior from Toronto posted a wire-to-wire victory within the 100-yard freestyle for a record-tying fourth consecutive title within the occasion and ninth general.

Liendo, who entered the race because the third seed, recorded the second-fastest begin and was first after 25 metres in 8.93 seconds, 14-100ths forward of his closest competitor. He went on to win in 39.91, the third-fastest time in historical past and first man to interrupt the 40-second barrier greater than as soon as.

In celebration, Liendo climbed the lane rope, flexed and slapped his chest.

Liendo’s successful time was 8-100ths off the NCAA mark established by Tennessee’s Jordan Crooks final season when the Canadian beat Crooks within the closing with the primary sub-40 efficiency of his profession.

On Thursday, Liendo went 42.51 within the 100m butterfly preliminaries to interrupt American Caeleb Dressel’s 2018 document. He lowered the mark to 42.49 a number of hours later within the closing.

In successful 4 100 free titles, Liendo joins Michigan’s Gustavo Borges as the one swimmers to take action on the faculty stage. Liendo can be the primary male swimmer to four-peat in any occasion since former Gator Dressel received the 50 free every season from 2015 by means of 2018.

Besides his freestyle titles, Liendo received the 100 butterfly thrice and 50 free twice whereas by no means inserting decrease than second place in any particular person NCAA race.

Also Saturday, Liendo anchored Florida’s 4×100 freestyle relay crew to 3rd place. The squad completed second general for the primary time since 1985.

Liendo was victorious in a single different race this week, clocking an 18.06-second private greatest within the 50 free.

Last October, the 23-year-old set a brief course (25m pool) world document within the males’s 100 fly, touching the wall in 47.68 seconds on the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Toronto.

Liendo was second within the occasion final summer season on the Canadian swimming trials in Victoria and positioned fourth two months later on the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.

At the 2024 Olympics, Liendo captured silver in Paris to develop into the primary Black Canadian swimmer to win an Olympic medal and was named Swimming Canada’s male swimmer of the 12 months.

Other notable Canadian performances:

Michigan freshman Antoine Sauve (Mont-Royal, Que.) helped his crew to fifth within the 4×100 free relay.

Stanford freshman Ethan Ekk, a twin U.S.-Canadian citizen, recorded a personal-best 1:38.78 for twelfth within the 200 backstroke. Calgary’s Lorne Wigginton, a Michigan sophomore, shaved 1.64 seconds off his PB to position thirteenth (1:42.13) within the 200 particular person medley.

Tristan Jankovics (Puslinch, Ont.), additionally representing Michigan, was twelfth within the 200 IM in 1:41.93.