Ilya Kharun earns 1st Olympic berth with victory in men's 200m butterfly

Next event in the pool could see a shot at another Canadian record. We will wait and see, but in the middle of the pool, Ilya Harun holds it already and he was holding something back in the heats. I think earlier today. Lane Nine will be Harrison Smith, 17 years of age, actually out of Louisville, KY, a dual citizen. Now you've got Hayden Gufran, 20 years of age. He's actually out of Sacramento, CA. Also not the old citizen. Jordi Vilcha is out of Barry. Very busy, man. He's already been in three finals, three different events. He's made the top eight in the A final. Michael Saba, 21 years of age, youth sport, national champion in 2023, aiming for Med school in two years at the University of Toronto. Patrick Gussy, 23 years of age. He's third in this race. Three years ago, he's already on the Olympic team. He made the four by 200 freestyle relay. Benjamin Lowen out of Toronto area. The Crescent Town team. University of Toronto national champion in the summer of 2023 on the Junior Pen Pack team in 2022. Bill Don Fang out of Victoria, training mate with Ben Lowen at University of Toronto. He was at the World Juniors where he finished fifth. Kevin Zhang was also at the World Juniors. He's from the University of Waterloo, studying computer science with Coach Jackie Beckford. Henrique Max Malekovic, born in northern Russia, landed, went to Sweden, went to USA and settled on Canada when he was seven years old. Ilia Corun His parents are in Cirque du Soleil. They started in Montreal, where he was born, moved to Las Vegas, where he grew up and trained, and he won the NCAA gold medal this year in the 200m butterfly. He is definitely the breakout swimmer of the year for Canada in 2023 and he is a man to watch in the butterfly events. As we mentioned, he holds that Canadian record of 15382 and when he did that he did the last 50 meters in 2915. That was at the final of the World Championships and no one else could touch him. Unfortunately he was 8 beginning that lap and wound up tied for fourth and we're underway in the men's 200m butterfly, 4 lengths of the pool internationally. This is the Christophe Milac event. It used to be the Michael Phelps event and the Chad Leclerc event and and what we mean by that is Mr. Maddock followed this race for the last few years but he's actually got into a little bit of a recession right now in his training and his approach And he said I've hit rock bottom. So I don't know if we're going to see the defending Olympic champion on world record holder at the Olympic Games but we're going to see Iliac Karoon challenge his Canadian record if he can keep up his face. Notice how long he is underwater right there. Great turn 4/10 of a second faster than his Canadian record time and then first fifty. He has got a full body length lead the battle for 2nd between Kevin Jane and Max Melekovitz and and then a bunch of others. Byron Haroon's best time is about four seconds faster than everybody else in the field. So he should have several body lengths on everyone and it's going to be a question of it. Can Haroon get to his record and who's going to win the battles of all the other boys in this race? He's more than half a second under his own Canadian record time and continues to look and lengthen the gap. Well, one of his training mates all winter was a guy named Leon Marchand who's favored to challenge for the gold medal in this race at the Olympic Games. So he's learning and training against the best watch the clock. His split at the Canadian record was 124. Seven He is again more than half a second or a half a second under it and the crowd begins to get on it's feet. This is a world class time. He gets down to the Canadian record. That'll be the fastest time done in the world this year. Dead battle for second. It looks like Lane 3, Kevin Zhang and Lane 5 Max. Now the Quebecs are in their favorite in the driver's seat. Here comes Zulia Haroun, the Canadian record 15382 and he's just over at 15441. Really good time. Who gets second? It is Zhang and then Malek Povitz in 3rd 15441 for Haroon and that is one of the ten fastest times in the world this year. He actually doesn't look very tired. I think he could do another one. Turns out that's the second fastest time in the world this year. Now, that being said, the Americans haven't had their trials, The Australians haven't had their trials, Germans haven't had their trial. So there will be some more times to come, no question about it. But that's still putting your name in the discussion for the medals when you get to Paris. Iliagarun, good and steady. Watch the head when he comes out. Not a lot of excessive movement. Just come up, take a breath and back down, not looking to the side. Good and steady all the way. Now we talked about his turn watch when he goes in a little bit too deep, going into the wall there. That probably cost him a few 10s underwater. Streamline nice and powerful kick. Not too powerful. Nice and flowing. Saves the energy and then up he comes on this last leg right to the wall. Perfect world class butterfly. The 100 butterfly is still the comedies. Garoon is working on his sprinting so we could see him again racing. Josh Leando in the 100m butterfly so Elia Harun 15441 gets the Olympic qualifying standard and takes the Canadian title.