Annie Xu Dominates, Olympians Wigginton, Jansen & Hess Tune-Up At Ontario Summer Champs

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

2024 Summer Ontario Swimming Championships

July 4-7, 2024
Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre – Toronto, Ontario
LCM (50 meters)
Meet Central
Results

Markham Aquatic Club standout Annie Xu had an incredible performance and a trio of Paris Olympians got in some tune-up races at the Summer Ontario Swimming Championships in Toronto.

The provincial championship meet saw the 11-year-old Xu, officially listed in results as “Huini Xu,” won seven events in the girls’ 13 & under age group, producing the fastest time in Canadian history for an 11-year-old in six races.

Xu already held the distinction of being the fastest 11-year-old in Canada in the 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500 free, and improved her marks in all those races, and she overtook Summer McIntosh for the top time in the 200 IM.

Xu’s Performances

100 free – 59.44 overtook her previous standard of 59.64 from May
200 free – 2:07.62 overtook her previous standard of 2:08.49 from March
400 free – 4:25.61 overtook her previous standard of 4:26.52 from May
800 free – 8:59.32 overtook her previous standard of 9:12.17 from May
1500 free – 17:15.49 overtook her previous standard of 17:22.98 from May
200 IM – 2:25.10 overtook McIntosh’s previous standard of 2:25.52 from July 2018

Xu now ranks 2nd in the girls’ 11-12 age group all-time in the 800 free and 1500 free, trailing McIntosh who holds both NAG records with respective times of 8:51.71 and 17:07.33.

It is important to note that Xu’s eligibility for setting official records is unknown—SwimSwam has reached out to Swimming Canada for clarification.

Xu also won the 400 IM in 5:07.74, shy of her PB of 5:03.88 set in April, and placed 3rd in the 200 fly in a best time of 2:31.39.

OLYMPIANS COMPETING

Three members of the 2024 Canadian Olympic team were in action at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (TPASC), all of whom train at that pool with the High Performance – Ontario squad.

Lorne Wigginton, who qualified for the Olympic team in the men’s 400 IM and 800 free relay, won the men’s 200 free in a time of 1:49.21, just over a second shy of the PB he set at the Olympic Trials in May (1:47.93).

Ella Jansen also raced the 200 free, claiming the women’s event in 1:58.58 to come within a half-second of the best time she set on the Mare Nostrum Tour in May 2023 (1:58.09). Jansen made the Canadian Olympic team in the women’s 400 IM, and will also be in consideration to swim the prelim 800 free relay in Paris.

Also racing was Apollo Hess, who was the runner-up in the men’s 100 breast at the Olympic Trials and was given a discretionary Olympic roster spot for the medley relay.

After setting a PB of 1:00.99 in the 100 breast at Trials, Hess clocked 1:02.30 in the prelims before scratching the final, while he clocked 2:17.38 in the 200 breast to place 2nd to Markham’s Brayden Taivassalo (2:16.83). Hess’ 200 breast PB sits at 2:14.92 set in 2021.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

Delia Lloyd – The 17-year-old Etobicoke product won four events for 16 & over girls, setting new best times in the 100 free (55.20) and 100 back (1:00.43) while also clocking 25.79 in the 50 free and 2:12.07 in the 200 back. In the 100 back, Lloyd knocked two one-hundredths off her previous best time, moving up to 6th all-time in the girls’ 15-17 age group.
Madison Kryger – Kryger won the 100 back (1:01.35) and 100 fly (1:03.25) in the girls’ 15-year-old age category and added a trio of silver medals in the 50, 100 and 200 free. In the 100 back, the Brock Niagara Aquatics product narrowly missed her lifetime best of 1:00.73 with a 1:00.77 prelim swim.
Shona Branton – Branton, who was 4th at the Olympic Trials in the women’s 100 breast, won that event in Toronto in a time of 1:07.89. The Western University swimmer set a PB of 1:06.59 in January.
Jordi Vilchez – The 18-year-old member of the Barrie Trojans won the boys’ 17 & over 400 free (3:57.74), 1500 free (15:40.73) and 200 IM (2:05.54), and added a runner-up finish in the 200 free behind Wigginton. In the 1500 free, Vilchez dropped nearly 25 seconds off his previous best (16:05.40) and now ranks 31st all-time in the boys’ 17-18 age group.
Eric Ginzburg – Ramac Aquatic Club’s Ginzburg had some of the top swims of the meet based on FINA points with wins in the boys’ 17 & over 50 free (23.22), 100 free (51.37) and 100 fly (53.23), having set a PB of 53.21 in the 100 fly heats to rank 16th all-time in Canada.

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