Canada’s Joshua Liendo, Ilya Kharun produce historic swim double podium

PARIS — Joshua Liendo and Ilya Kharun talked the moment into being.

They produced the first double podium by Canadian men in Olympic swimming with silver and bronze in the men’s 100-metre butterfly Saturday in Paris.

“Me and Josh a couple days ago spoke about how crazy it would be if me and him both got on the podium,” Kharun said. “I’m so glad we spoke it into existence.”

Hungary’s Kristof Milak took gold in 49.90 seconds ahead of Toronto’s Liendo in 49.99 and Kharun in 50.45.

The 21-year-old Liendo became the first Canadian Black swimmer to claim an Olympic swim medal.

“It’s a huge milestone and it’s something that I don’t take lightly,” Liendo said. “Definitely a lot of pride to get that.”

A lot of Canadian sport history was made at La Defense Arena on Saturday night.

Teammate Summer McIntosh captured her third gold medal to become the first Canadian triple gold medallist in Olympic history, but she was pleased for her male counterparts.

“I was super-pumped to see two Canadian men on the podium,” McIntosh said. “They’re just getting started. They’re both such hard workers and such great individuals.”

The swim team’s eight medals in Paris with the medley relays to go Sunday matched the previous high at a non-boycotted Summer Games set by the host team in 1976 in Montreal.

Canadian swimmers won 10 medals in the boycotted Games in Los Angeles in 1984.

The women have driven the swim team’s success recently by winning all six medals in 2016 in Rio and another half-dozen in Tokyo three years ago.

Kharun’s second bronze medal — he was also third in the 200-metre butterfly — and Liendo’s silver in Paris marked a resurgence on the men’s side.

“That’s a huge momentum shift on the men’s,” Liendo said. “That’s a big statement there.”

Liendo, who swims collegiately for the University of Florida Gators, and Arizona State’s Kharun are roommates in Paris.

“I’m going to throw Ilya under the bus. He talks in his sleep a lot,” Liendo said. “He’s a funny dude.”

Kharun was born in Montreal to Ukrainian parents who were circus acrobats. He was raised in Las Vegas where they worked in Cirque du Soleil shows.

Liendo was born in Toronto, but spent the first nine years of his life in Trinidad before returning to the city.

Liendo’s silver was Canada’s best result in the 100 fly since Bruce Robertson’s silver in 1972 in Munich.

Kharun was the first Canadian man to win multiple swim medals since Curtis Myden in 1996.

He was seventh at the turn Saturday, but charged into podium position.

World-record holder and Tokyo champion Caeleb Dressel of the United States didn’t qualify for the final.

Maxime Grousset, the 2023 world champion who had pulled out of the men’s 50-metre freestyle the previous evening to save himself for the 100 fly, placed fifth.

Liendo was fourth in the men’s 50-metre freestyle, just two-hundredths of a second out of a medal.

“I just wanted to use that as fuel for the 100 fly and I got the job done,” Liendo said.

Kharun says when he took his bronze medal from the 200 fly earlier in the week back to the athletes’ village, the other men on Canada’s swim team wanted to see it.

“I think it was motivating,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2024.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press