Swimming in his first Olympic Games, Team Canada’s Ilya Kharun has qualified for the men’s 200m butterfly final at Paris 2024.
The 19-year-old’s time of 1:54.01 was the third fastest in Tuesday’s semifinals, securing him a spot in Wednesday’s final. Only Hungary’s Kristóf Milák and Leon Marchand of France had better times.
The final will take place Wednesday at 2:37 p.m. EST. It’s sure to be a loud environment inside the Paris La Défense Arena with Marchand, the winner of the men’s 400m individual medley, in the race.
Kharun, the Canadian record holder in the men’s 200m butterfly, had a strong showing in the morning heats to secure a semifinal spot, winning his heat with a time of 1:54.06 – which ended up being the second fastest time in qualifying. Only Milák had a faster time of 1:53.92. He finished fourth in the 200m butterfly at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.
Canada’s Kylie Masse and Ingrid Wilm were both in action on Tuesday night as well, competing for medals in the women’s 100m backstroke final. Masse had a strong start to the race, leading at the 50m mark. But the two-time Olympic medallist in the event (bronze at Rio 2016, silver at Tokyo 2020) couldn’t maintain her lead, finishing fourth in a stacked field with a time of 58.29.
Wilm, competing in her first Olympic Games, finished sixth with a time of 59.25.
“To be here at the Olympics… and then with each step after the prelims, I was hesitant to see what the semifinals were going to be like,” Wilm explained after the race. “So I was very, very happy yesterday after making the finals. There’s no better way to say it – so happy to be here and to make that top eight, I mean, top six in the world, really isn’t bad. So, yeah, just really happy.”
Australia’s Kaylee McKeown – in an Olympic record time of 57.33 – edged world record holder Regan Smith of the United States to win gold. American Katharine Berkoff won bronze.
Josh Liendo, meanwhile, swam in the men’s 100m freestyle semifinals where he finished 11th overall with a time of 48.06. The top eight swimmers advanced to Wednesday’s final.
Liendo earned a spot in the semifinals by posting the 10th fastest time in the morning’s qualifying heats. Canadian Yuri Kisil also took part in those heats but, with a time of 49.06, did not qualify for the semis.
Butterfly specialist Maggie Mac Neil was also in action on Tuesday morning, competing in the women’s 100m freestyle heats. Mac Neil grabbed the 16th and final spot in the evening semifinals but opted not to take part in order to turn her focus to upcoming relay events.
Four other Canadians were in action on Tuesday morning. Patrick Hussey, Alex Axon, Jeremy Bagshaw and Lorne Wigginton all raced for Canada in the men’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay where they finished seventh in their heat and missed qualifying for the evening final. All four are making their Olympic debuts in Paris – including Bagshaw who, at 32 years old, earned a roster spot in his fifth attempt.
Swimming pool events continue until August 4 (Day 9) at Paris 2024.
