Canadian Olympic bronze medalist Kylie Masse of LaSalle, Ontario broke the Canadian record in the women’s 100-metre backstroke at the Canadian Olympic Swimming Trials in Toronto, Ontario on Saturday. Masse posted a time of 57.7 seconds to beat her previous best time of 58.1 seconds which was set at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
Masse’s time of 58.1 seconds at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships was a world record. Kaylee McKeown of Australia has the current world record of 57.45 seconds, which she set at the Australian Olympic Swimming Trials in Adelaide on June 13. McKeown is the only swimmer to set the world record in an Olympic swimming event in 2021.
In addition to winning the gold medal and setting a world record at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Masse also won the gold medal at the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea with a time of 58.6 seconds. When Masse won the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, she had a time of 58.76 seconds, and was tied for third alongside Fu Yuanhui of China.
The Canadian Olympic Swimming Trials is continuing through to Wednesday. The final for the women’s 100-metre backstroke is July 27. It will be on the same day as the women’s 100-metre breaststroke.