Ilya Kharun scores lifetime best 100 flights to beat Josh Liendo at Mel Zajac Jr. Meet

59TH YEAR MEL ZAJAC JR. INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING MEETING

A trio of Canadian Olympic medal hopefuls made their final tune-ups for the 100 butterflies before Paris next month at the 59th annual Mel Zajac Jr. International Swimming Meet on Saturday.

Rising sophomore at Arizona State Ilya Kharun clocked a personal best of 51.02 to defeat Josh Liendo (51.25) by a few tenths in the 100 fly. Kharun shaved 0.07 seconds off her previous best of 51.09 from her second-place finish at last month’s Canadian Olympic Trials, where Liendo clocked a record time of 50.06 for victory. At the 2024 NCAA Championships in March, Kharun placed 5th in the SCY 100 fly behind national champion Liendo.

Both Kharun and Liendo returned to the pool at the end of the session for the men’s 50 freestyle. Liendo takes 2nd place in 22.51 behind Gregory Lichinsky (22.46) while Kharun placed 5th in 22.87.

In the women’s 100 butterfly, reigning Olympic champion Maggie MacNeil won in 56.83, just a few tenths off her season best of 56.54 from the Canadian Olympic Trials last month, placing her 7th in the world this season. Next month, she aims to become the first woman to repeat the test.

Reigning world champion in the 200 IM Finlay Knox recorded in 1:59.58 for 1st place. He ranks 6th in the world this season with his personal best of 1:56.07 from last month’s Canadian Olympic Trials.

After beating her own Irish record by more than two seconds in the women’s 200m breaststroke preliminary qualifying with a time of 2:22.49 to move up to 7th in the world this season, Mona McSharry was slightly slower in the final en route to victory in 2:22.68.

Ilia Sibirtsev couldn’t really add the 400 freestyle to his Olympic roster after qualifying in the 800 freestyle Friday night. The Russian-turned-Uzbek distance specialist triumphed in 3:49.02, just off his personal best of 3:48.57 from last month. Sibirtsev was still seconds off the Olympic “A” time of 3:46.78.

In the men’s 50m backstroke, soon to be a triple Olympian Javier Acevedo (25.41) held off Knox (25.81) and Blake Tierney (25.94) for the victory.

Ashley McMillan won the women’s 200 individual medley in 2:12.51, about a second off her personal best of 2:11.00 that placed her 4th at the Canadian Olympic Trials last month.

Mexican record holder Miguel de Lara reached the wall first in the men’s 200m breaststroke in 2:12.50. He will head to his first Olympics next month at age 29 thanks to his personal best of 2:09.60 from last April, just shy of the Olympic “A” time of 2:09.68.

Kayla Sanchez pass Taylor Ruck (25:30) by only a few hundredths for the crown of the women’s 50 m freestyle in 25.28.