Ajax swimmer adds to medal haul at Worlds with fourth relay medal

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Published June 29, 2022 at 11:07 am

Penny Oleksiak, Kayla Sanchez, Javier Acavedo and Josh Liendo swam to a silver medal in the 4 x 100 mixed freestyle race Friday at the World Swimming Championships

Summer McIntosh is Canada’s swimming superstar in the making and Penny Oleksiak is still the GOAT but Kayla Sanchez is carving her own path at the just-concluded World Swimming Championships as a relay specialist.

The Ajax Aquatic Club member added her fourth medal at the Worlds – all in relays – when she helped Canada win silver in the mixed medley 4 x 100 relay Friday, the penultimate day for the swimming competition. The medal was Canada’s ninth at the competition, breaking a record set at the 2019 World Championships.

Javier Acevedo and Josh Liendo – a breakout star for the men’s team in his own right with a pair of individual bronze medals – had the Canadians in third spot before Sanchez hit the water and a strong second 50 put Sanchez and Canada just a hair back of the Americans before Oleksiak took over to swim the anchor leg.

Oleksiak, as is her custom, turned on the jets in the final length of the short-course pool to overtake the Americans and take silver in Canadian record time of 3:20.61. Australia won gold in world record time, clocking 3:19.38.

Sanchez also helped Canada get a silver medal in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay, added a bronze as part of the 4 x 200 freestyle relay team and also earned a bronze when she swam the heats for the 4 x 100 Individual medley relay on the final day of the event.

Canada would add to their record haul on the final day of the competition Saturday, with McIntosh – who is just 15 – winning gold in the 400 Individual Medley by more than half a second over American Katie Grimes. It was McIntosh’s second gold and fourth medal of the competition.

Canada finished third in the medal table in Budapest with 11 medals, including three gold, four silver and four bronze.

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