Mary-Sophie Harvey was aiming for a semi-final and, in her wildest dreams, a final at the opening of the FINA World Championships in Budapest. In a very tough race in the semi-final of the 200m medley, Harvey managed to come out on top by finishing second in his heat to secure a place in the grand final.
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The Trois-Rivières swimmer was at the forefront of the race for the first 50 meters before losing that lead to American Leah Hayes. The fight continued until the very end of the race, where Hayes finally won.
“I knew the race was going to be very difficult and I absolutely wanted to be in the final. I didn’t want to think about the timer so I could focus on my movements and it worked. It’s time to rest now and I’ll be ready for the final,” said Harvey after his day at work.
The 200m medley final will be contested on Sunday.
As a curtain raiser for the worlds, Mary-Sophie Harvey jumped into the pool in the fourth wave of the day. The Quebecer finished second in her group, trailing the winner of her wave Alex Walsh by 0.69 seconds. The American also finished first in qualifying. Harvey took fourth place.
“I was pleasantly surprised by my time this morning. I still have trouble fully understanding what happened in qualifying. I didn’t see the race pass, but luckily it was positive.”
A busy day for Katerine Savard
A little later, the Canadian team collected a silver medal in the 4×100 m freestyle relay. Although she gave up her place in the grand final, Quebecer Katerine Savard had her say in the qualifications.
The 29-year-old swimmer was the last torchbearer for the Canadian team at the start of the day. She took the opportunity to set a personal best of 54.05s and secure her country a place in the final, finishing first in her heat. Rebecca Smith and Savard were then replaced by Margaret MacNeil and Penny Oleksiak for the final. Kayla Sanchez and Taylor Ruck were the other two Canadian swimmers.
“I am happy to have been able to help the team to qualify for the final. I had a lot of fun and on top of that, my time was just outstanding. Go Canada!” Savard said.
The Quebecer was also in action in the 100m butterfly where her path stopped during the semi-finals. She completed the distance in 57.98s and placed sixth in her wave. This race was fiercely contested as only 7 hundredths of a second separated third from sixth place.
“I had good times overall. I’m a little disappointed to have missed the final by 0.07 seconds. Overall, I’m happy with my performance. I could never complain about a time of around 57 seconds”, commented Savard.
American Torri Huske was the fastest in the semis, completing the distance in 56.29s.
Savard advanced to the semifinals after placing 10th in qualifying, stopping the clock at 58.22s.
Also in action on Saturday, James Dergousoff saw his career come to an end in qualifying in the 100m breaststroke following a disqualification.