Kylie Masse storms into 100m backstroke semifinals<\/p>\n
GLASGOW, Scotland \u2013 Oliver Dawson led the Canadian charge in the pool on the second day of the Commonwealth Games but came up .05 shy of the podium in the men\u2019s 100-metre breaststroke final.<\/p>\n
Competing in his first Commonwealth Games, the 18-year-old from Grand Prairie, Alta. fed off a successful summer to finish fourth against a deep men\u2019s field with a time of 59.70, leading a trio of Canadians into the finals on Saturday evening.<\/p>\n
Australia\u2019s Sam Williamson took top spot in the race with a time of 59.17. Jersey\u2019s Filib Nowacki swam to the silver medal with a time of 59.34. Adam Ramsay-Peaty, of England, rounded out the podium in third place with a time of 59.65.<\/p>\n
Ella Jansen, of Burlington, Ont., earned a spot in the finals for the second-straight night. The Etobicoke Swim Club athlete placed eighth in the women\u2019s 200-metre freestyle test with a time of 1:59.18.<\/p>\n
Paralympian, Emma Van Dyk, was also seventh in the 200M S14 freestyle event. The Brock Niagara Aquatics swimmer clocked a time of 2:31.24.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a great series of races from Oliver in the prelims, semis and final and now has more to come in the Games\u201d said John Atkinson, High Performance Director and National Coach. \u201cWe also qualified five swimmers through to the finals tomorrow night including a great double for Josh Liendo.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Toronto\u2019s Liendo locking up spots in Sunday\u2019s 50-metre freestyle and 100-metre butterfly finals, Kylie Masse led the field into the 100-metre backstroke final after a stellar semis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Commonwealth Games have been foundational for my journey in my career. It\u2019s an incredible steppingstone for junior and senior athletes to just get the exposure on a little smaller scale,\u201d said Masse, who won Commonwealth Games gold in the 100-metre backstroke in 2018. \u201cI take a lot of pride in any opportunity I have to represent Canada, and I want to be the best version of myself when I do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sophie Angus (HPC Ontario) also secured a spot in the women\u2019s 100-metre breaststroke finale on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The Canadian swim team is comprised of 12 Olympic Program<\/a> and 12 Paralympic Program<\/a> athletes at the Commonwealth Games, which are a unique among major international multi-sport events, bringing Olympic and Paralympic stream athletes together as one integrated team, creating an environment that has become one of the defining characteristics of the Commonwealth movement. Canada\u2019s swimmers captured 19 medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.<\/p>\n