Oliver Dawson completes breaststroke sweep at 2026 Bell Canadian Swimming Trials

(Swimming Canada/Scott Grant)

July 9, 2026

All eyes had been on Oliver Dawson within the males’s 100m breaststroke closing, the ultimate open race of the night, with the Canadian report holder seeking to full an bold breaststroke sweep on the 2026 Bell Canadian Swimming Trials.

The 18-year-old had already captured victories within the 50m and 200m breaststroke occasions earlier within the week, and he delivered as soon as once more within the 100m closing.

Swimming in lane 4, Dawson used a powerful opening 50 metres to place himself in charge of the race. Apollo Hess stayed inside hanging distance early, however Dawson maintained his tempo via the again half and pulled away to assert the win.

Dawson reached the 50-metre mark in 27.85 and rode the water nicely coming residence, touching first in 59.97. His time dipped underneath the one-minute barrier, although it was 0.64 seconds off his Canadian report. Hess completed second in 1:01.40, whereas Brayden Taivassalo rounded out the rostrum in 1:01.58.

Dawson was thrilled with the way in which the week got here collectively, particularly after setting the objective of sweeping all three breaststroke occasions.

“To go three-for-three, that’s what I wanted,” stated Dawson. “And to go under a minute, I don’t think anyone’s done that in quite a while.”

Dawson has spent the previous few months establishing himself as one among Canada’s brightest swimming prospects. In May, the Grande Prairie, Alta., swimmer broke a pair of long-standing Canadian breaststroke data on consecutive days on the AP Race London International. Dawson first lowered the lads’s 50m breaststroke customary with a time of 27.29 seconds, surpassing Scott Dickens’ 2009 report. The following day, he broke Dickens’ 100m breaststroke mark from 2012 with a time of 59.55 within the preliminaries, and subsequently lowered the nationwide benchmark to 59.33 in June.

Earlier within the week, Dawson mirrored on how his strategy to Trials has modified.

“Trials to me used to be this nerve-wracking event. It was ‘Oh my god! The top of the top,’” he stated. “This year, with Pan Pacs, it’s a more open team to make. It takes off some of the stress.”

That confidence confirmed all through the week.

In the ladies’s 100m breaststroke, Alexanne Lepage edged forward early to take a slight lead over Sophie Angus on the 50-metre mark. Lepage turned in 31.50, simply forward of Angus at 31.53, however Angus started to shut the hole over the ultimate 25 metres.

Lepage held on for the victory in a personal-best time of 1:06.08, a efficiency that ranks eighth on the earth this 12 months. Angus completed second in 1:07.22, whereas Shona Branton rounded out the rostrum in 1:07.

A decade after her Olympic debut, Taylor Ruck continues so as to add to an already embellished profession. The four-time Olympic medallist claimed her fifth gold medal of the meet, finishing an ideal five-for-five run in Montréal.

The 26-year-old entered the ladies’s 50m backstroke closing as the highest qualifier and lined up in lane 4, the place she shortly established herself because the swimmer to beat. Ruck opened up a major lead and by no means regarded again, touching in 25.93 as the one swimmer within the discipline underneath the AQUA ‘A’ customary of 26.23. Matea Gigovic claimed silver in 26.38, whereas Leilani Fack completed third in 26.88.

Ruck’s victory added one other title to a outstanding week that has seen her win each closing she has entered, persevering with a resurgence that has made her one of many tales of those Trials.

“This week has been awesome,” stated Ruck. “I feel like I just keep saying I’m having a lot of fun doing all this racing. The crowd is really good too.”

READ: Taylor Ruck in unique firm with third gold medal of 2026 Bell Canadian Swimming Trials

The return to Parc Olympique has added one other layer of significance to this 12 months’s Trials. For the primary time in 14 years, Montreal’s iconic venue hosted the occasion, coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary celebration of the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, the place Canadian swimmers received eight of the nation’s 11 medals. Ruck stated the environment contained in the pool has made the expertise much more particular.

“You can definitely feel it in the atmosphere here,” she stated. “The pool’s awesome. The crowd’s awesome. I keep putting myself to when they were here before and what it was like.”

For Ruck, being a part of the second in Montreal has been one thing to understand.

“It feels very special to be able to be present here in Montreal, and to do what we can to go all out in the pool.”

In the lads’s 50m butterfly closing, Finlay Knox delivered one other standout efficiency, taking the win in 23.36 and matching the AQUA ‘A’ customary. Chris Weeks completed second in 23.52 after a powerful end, whereas Eric Ginzburg rounded out the rostrum in 23.88.

The closing night time of racing opened with a press release efficiency from Madison Kryger within the girls’s 200m backstroke. The favorite, swimming in lane 4, was challenged early by Ingrid Wilm and Reina Liu via the opening half of the race. But Kryger took management after the primary 50 metres, steadily extending her benefit to a full physique size over the again half earlier than touching first in 2:08.17.

Wilm claimed silver in 2:10.10, a lifetime finest that dipped underneath the AQUA ‘A’ customary for the Pan Pacific Championships, whereas Liu completed third in 2:11.41. Ella Jansen, who entered the night having already received three particular person medals and 4 general at these Trials, completed simply off the rostrum in fourth.

Kryger’s successful time ranks twelfth on the earth this season and secured her place on Canada’s crew for the Pan Pacific Championships.

“I am really happy with that,” stated Kryger. “I am ready for the summer and I am really excited.”

The efficiency additionally gave the 17-year-old one other confidence increase heading into the worldwide season.

“I think just repping a time that is fast and hopefully moving forward on an international stage is really important,” she stated. “I’m happy to continually do it this summer.”

For Wilm, the runner-up end was equally encouraging. The veteran produced a relaxed swim that resulted in a lifetime finest and comfortably met the Pan Pacific qualifying customary, including one other sturdy efficiency as she builds towards the worldwide season.

READ: Summer McIntosh erases the oldest girls’s swimming world report

Ethan Ekk capped off a powerful week in Montreal by claiming the lads’s 200m backstroke title.

Swimming out of lane six, Ekk blasted out over the opening 50 metres to determine himself among the many leaders. He maintained his benefit via the center of the race earlier than holding off a late cost from Blake Tierney. The Paris 2024 Olympian discovered one other gear over the third 50 metres to maneuver from third into second.

Ekk touched first in 1:57.58, with Tierney taking silver in 1:58.76 and Jacques Harrison incomes bronze in 2:00.55.

“That was a good race,” stated Ekk. “I’m very happy with that.”

The 19-year-old was happy with the victory however felt there was nonetheless room for enchancment over the closing levels.

“I want to know the splits on that, though,” he stated. “I used to be making an attempt to take it on the market, however I don’t know if I used to be too far forward. I missed it on the again half and sort of slowed down within the final 50 metres, whereas I normally come again sooner.

“I’m excited to join the team in California this summer. I’m very proud of that.”