Wilm, Knox break Canadian records, while Toronto Titans take win at ISL match
Canadians sweep top 3 spots in the women's 400m individual medley
Canadian swimmers broke national records and the Toronto Titans emerged with the win at the International Swimming League match in Naples, Italy on Friday.
The Titans' Finlay Knox, of Okotoks, Alta., came second in the men's 100-metre individual medley, breaking his own Canadian record (short course) in a time of 51.82 seconds.
And Canada's Ingrid Wilm smashed her own national record as well, about a week after setting the mark in the women's 100m backstroke (short course.) Swimming for the LA Current, her time of 55.68 and first-place finish contributed 19 points to the team's challenge for the victory.
But while LA chopped at Toronto's lead on the second day of competition at the Piscina Felice Scandone, accumulating points as the events progressed, the team was unable to seal the deal.
The Titans ended with 536 points for its first win of the season, while the Current finished up second with 452.5. DC Trident ended third while Iron finished fourth.
Canadian performances
Among the first Canadians to race on Friday was Toronto's Summer McIntosh. The 15-year-old Titans swimmer, who won the women's 400m freestyle final the day prior, was unable to hang on in the women's 200m butterfly.
For half the race McIntosh was in third, but dropped back with a time of 2:08.28. Her British teammate Laura Stephens burst from fifth to round out the top three, with the two swimmers picking up nine points for the team.
WATCH | McIntosh swims to victory in ISL 400m freestyle:
Swimming for the Current, Javier Acevedo of Scarborough, Ont., placed third in the men's 100m backstroke, touching the wall in 50.60, while Cole Pratt of Calgary ended eighth in 51.37.
Pratt also swam to eighth in the men's 100m individual medley with a time of 55.93.
On the women's side of that event, Kayla Sanchez came third in 58.48. She also swam to sixth in the women's 200m freestyle in 1:56.08.
A maple leaf sweep
Also competing in the 100m individual medley, Canadian Bailey Andison swam to fifth in 58.95, earning four points for her team, DC Trident.
Andison, of Smith Falls, Ont., was a part of the Canadian sweep of the top three spots in the women's 400m individual medley. She claimed victory in 4:26.39, passing McIntosh, who earned second in 4:29.81, during the backstroke leg.
The Titans' Tessa Cieplucha of Georgetown, Ont., ended third in 4:31.07, securing a collective 22-point haul with McIntosh.
WATCH | Canadians sweep top 3 spots of women's 100m individual medley:
Kesley Wog of Winnipeg came eighth in the women's 100m breaststroke with a time of 1:06.65. In the men's event, German swimmer Fabian Schwingenschloegl pulled out the Titans' first win of the day.
He raced again for the Titans in the mixed 4x100m medley relay, on a team that included Masse and Sanchez. Their collective time of 3:36.92 earned third place, 2.77 behind the winning LA Current quartet that included Wilm.
But it was Toronto's success in the skins events that secured them the match. Hansson won all three rounds of her butterfly event in a tremendous display of athleticism.
Afterward, Canada's Yuri Kisil — who also placed fifth in the men's 100m freestyle — and American-born Shane Ryan made it to the third round of the men's freestyle skins by tying each other in the second. In the final round, the pair placed third and second, respectively.
