Kharun claims triple crown in World Cup pool

TORONTO – For the second straight night, Ilya Kharun and Josh Liendo stole the show for the host nation at the three-day World Aquatics Swimming World Cup, which concludes Saturday at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.

Kharun won the men’s 200-metre butterfly in 1:49.71 to become the first Canadian in history to capture a World Cup triple crown.

The 20-year-old from Montreal had previously triumphed in the event in each of the first two legs of the three-stop series, staged earlier this month in Carmel, Ind., and Westmont, Ill. The hat-trick is worth US$10,000 in prize money.

For his part, Toronto’s Liendo followed his two wins from opening night — including a short-course world record in the 100 fly — with a victory and a Canadian mark in the men’s 100 freestyle. His time of 45.30 bettered Brent Hayden’s national standard of 45.56 which had stood since 2009.

With his 200 fly win, Kharun upped his 2025 World Cup podium count to 11, including six first-place finishes. He will be going for another triple crown on Saturday in the 50 fly.

Italy’s Alberto Razzetti (1:51.63) and Mitchell Schott of the United States (1:52.10) took second and third in the 200, while 17-year-old Anton Semenyuk of Natation Gatineau was sixth in a personal best 1:55.29.

“I thought I did very well,” said Kharun, the reigning Olympic bronze medallist and world short-course champion in the 200 fly. “I took it smooth and kept it smooth the entire way. I thought maybe I could go a bit quicker but it’s all right. I’ve been tired from all the races. (In the last 25 metres) I was thinking just get my hand on the wall. I wanted to win, and I got it done.

“The crowd really pushes us and I’m just happy to be here. It’s a great opportunity we have (to compete in Toronto),” he said. “It’s very nice.”

In the men’s 100 free, Liendo edged Americans Jack Alexy (45.55) and Chris Guiliano (45.71). Torontonian Ruslan Gaziev finished fifth in 46.47, a personal best.

For the second consecutive evening, Liendo earned USD 2,500 for playing crown buster as Alexy entered the race as the double winner from Carmel and Westmont.

“Well, when I look up and see, like, a million people in the crowd — there’s a Blue Jays game tonight — but there’s a lot of people in the crowd, man. So, it’s pretty hype. It’s good to see, and it gets me fired up,” said Liendo when asked if the Pan Am Centre pool gave him super powers.

A crowd of 1,400 was on hand for Friday’s finals, up from 1,200 on Night 1.

“I like attacking the first 25 (in the 100 free), for me, but also to see if I can make other guys jump the gun. I paid for it a little bit at the end, but I just had to get my hand on the wall at the end there,” added the 23-year-old two-time Olympian.

“I think it’s time for me,” Liendo said about the Canadian record. “I want to get better in the event long course. Obviously last year during trials, I was sick and didn’t make the team (in that event). I want to move forward with that event long course, as well as the 100 fly. Just looking forward to that.”

Earlier in the evening, Mary-Sophie Harvey of Trois-Rivières, Que., placed second in the women’s 400 individual medley in a personal best 4:24.25. Ireland’s Ellen Walshe prevailed in 4:22.97.

It was the second podium in as many nights for the two-time Olympian from Montreal’s CAMO club, after a third-place finish in the 200 fly on Thursday.

“I feel great,” said the 26-year-old. “Honestly, I did not expect to go [for my] best time at this event. For the amount of training I’ve been doing, I kind of had low expectations with my main events.

“Obviously I think the 400 IM was the best out of my main events — that I could be closest to my best times. I knew I wanted to be a little bit faster than last stop. To drop four seconds (from 4:28.92), I can’t ask for more right now. I think it’s pretty exciting for the future.”

Also reaching the podium for Canada was Finlay Knox of Okotoks, Alta., who clocked 1:51.50 in the men’s 200 IM to finish third behind Shaine Casas of the United States (1:49.79) and Japan’s Tomoyuki Matsushita (1:51.43).

Casas completed the 200 IM triple crown with his victory.

“I think it was good, each stop I’ve gotten progressively faster,” said Knox, the 2024 world long-course champion in the event who trains at the High Performance Centre — Vancouver. “It was no spectacular swim but coming off one of my worst summers as an athlete it’s a good bounce back and I’m putting up times close to what I was post-Olympics, so I got to be pretty happy about that. It’s a stepping-stone to move forward.”

Meanwhile, a trio of Canadians competed in the women’s 100 backstroke final, including Ingrid Wilm of Calgary (HPC-Vancouver), fourth in 56.05, Kylie Masse of LaSalle, Ont., fifth in 56.09, and Taylor Ruck of Kelowna, B.C., eighth in 56.93.

Ruck also placed sixth in the 50 fly in 25.92, while 18-year-old Aiden Kirk of Kelowna (HPC-Vancouver) was fifth in men’s 1,500 free in a personal best 15:09.08, and Sophie Angus, who trains at HPC-Ontario, was sixth in the women’s 100 breaststroke in 1:05.24.

From the international side, Australia’s Mollie O’Callaghan provided the highlight of the night with a world record of 1:49.36 in 200 free that clinched her triple crown.

The reigning Olympic champion in the event, O’Callaghan lowered her own mark of 1:49.77 set last Saturday in Westmont.

Other international athletes who captured a triple crown with a victory on Day 2 included USA teammates Gretchen Walsh in the women’s 50 butterfly (23.91) and Kate Douglass in the women’s 100 breaststroke (1:02.93), as well as Hungary’s Hubert Kos in the men’s 50 back (22.67).

Other Friday winners were Australian teammates Samuel Short in the men’s 1500 free (14:35.33) and Kaylee McKeown in the women’s 100 back (54.49), along with Caspar Corbeau of the Netherlands in the men’s 50 breast (25.77).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2025.