Margaret Mac Neil is the new world record holder in the women’s 50m backstroke.
The Ontarian, who won gold in the 100m butterfly at the Tokyo Games, finished in 25.27 seconds to claim gold at the FINA World Short Course Championships in Abu Dhabi. The previous record was held by the Dutch Kira Toussaint (25.60 seconds).
Fellow backstroke specialist Kylie Masse took silver in 25.62. This time is lower than the old Canadian record that Masse shared with Mac Neil.
“If you had told me my first world record would be on the back, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Mac Neil said. But, I knew that if I could correct my turns, I had a chance. That was definitely my goal for this competition. “
Masse is a two-time world champion and a silver medalist at the Tokyo Games in the 100m backstroke.
Louise Hansson of Sweden completed the podium with a time of 25.86.
Masse, 25, got her 10e career medal at the worlds, making her the most decorated Canadian swimmer in history.
She passed Penny Oleksiak and Ryan Cochrane, who total nine each.
“I never imagined such a career until now. I am extremely competitive and never feel satisfied. That’s the beauty of the sport and that’s what keeps me motivated. “
The Canadian team also took the top step of the podium in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay. Summer McIntosh, Kayla Sanchez, Katerine Savard and Rebecca Smith lowered the Canadian record and missed the world record by 11 hundredths of a second. The United States finished second, ahead of China.
“We wanted to win this event,” said Smith. We wanted to try and get as close as possible to the world record and achieve the best 200 freestyle relay we were capable of. It’s a long competition, with lots of races for some of our team, so we wanted to finish it strong. “
Earlier, Sydney Pickrem had triumphed in the 200m individual medley in 2: 04.29. She beat the Chinese Yiting Yu and the American Kate Douglass. “I knew I had to swim my best the second half of the race, that’s my strength,” said the one in third halfway through.
Thanks to her four other medals, Canada sets a new record harvest at the short course worlds with twelve medals so far (six gold, five silver and one bronze). The team’s best record of eight medals was in 1999 and 2016. “It’s been a fantastic night for Canadian swimming,” said John Atkinson, High Performance Director and National Coach. The performances the athletes have achieved at the end of the year are a great way to end 2021 and move on to the next year.
“The athletes, coaches and support staff have worked tirelessly throughout the year. To come here and experience what could be the best night of swimming for Canada at a world championship is incredible, and all the credit goes to them. “
The competition ends Tuesday.
With Le Devoir