Canadian Olympians Heading to Mel Zajac Jr. International Swim Meet for Final Tune-Up
By Riley Overend on SwimSwam
59th Annual Mel Zajac Jr. International Swim Meet
June 21-23, 2024
UBC Aquatic Centre
Vancouver, Canada
LCM (50 meters)
Meet Central
Reigning Olympic gold medalist Maggie MacNeil, defending world champion Finlay Knox, and 2023 World Championships silver medalist Josh Liendo headline the list of 14 Canadian Olympians competing at the 59th Annual Mel Zajac Jr. International Swim Meet this weekend in Vancouver — just a few weeks before the Summer Games kick off in Paris next month.
It will be MacNeil’s final tune-up before she aims to become the first woman ever to repeat as Olympic champion in the 100 butterfly. The 24-year-old is ranked 7th this season at 56.54 from last month’s Canadian Trials after taking silver at the 2023 World Championships behind Zhang Yufei.
Knox has been on a tear this year, capturing the 2024 world title in the 200 IM (1:56.64) in February before lowering his Canadian record to 1:56.07 at Trials last month. The 23-year-old should also see medley relay action in Paris after winning the 100 breast in 1:00.66 at Trials.
Liendo is looking like a strong podium contender in the men’s 100 fly after bringing his Canadian record down to 50.06 at Trials, which ranks No. 1 in the world this season ahead of Noe Ponti (50.16) and Matthew Temple (50.25). The 21-year-old secured a silver medal in the 100 fly at the 2023 World Championships (50.34).
Among the other Canadian Olympians competing at the Mel Zajac Jr. International Swim Meet this weekend are Ilya Kharun, Taylor Ruck, and Javier Acevedo. Three other Canadian Olympians — Penny Oleksiak, Mary-Sophie Harvey, and Jeremy Bagshaw — are in Rome this weekend for the 2024 Sette Colli Trophy.
This year’s meet — held right before the June 23 deadline to qualify for next month’s Paris Olympics — is attracting almost 600 athletes from 15 countries across five continents.
Among the notable entries is Kayla Sanchez, who will be representing the Philippines at the Olympics next month after winning two relay medals for Canada in Tokyo. At 23 years old, Sanchez will be enrolling at the University of British Columbia (UBC) next season and will be competing for the Thunderbirds in U Sports along with Knox.
UBC already boasts two current Thunderbirds who punched their tickets to Paris last month: Blake Tierney and Emma O’Croinin, both of whom redshirted last season. Tierney will contest both backstroke events while O’Croinin will likely swim on Canada’s 4×200 free relay courtesy of her 4th-place finish at Trials (1:57.86).
“We are thrilled to be hosting the 59th Annual Mel Zajac Jr International Swim Meet,” said UBC head coach Derrick Schoof. “It should prove to be an incredible meet as we welcome so much national and international talent. This is the final weekend that swimmers from around the world can qualify for the Olympics and the last opportunity for Canadian Olympians to tune up before heading to Paris in July. In addition, our Olympians will be signing autographs for spectators after the heats each morning.”
“This competition has such a rich history of both showcasing excellence at the highest level as well as providing opportunity for young swimmers from across BC, Canada, and the northwest USA,” commented Schoof. “Every year we see not only some the best international swimmers, but the future up and coming superstars. The Zajac meet provides the opportunity for our local swimming community of all ages and abilities to come out and watch and cheer on these amazing athletes.”
Mel Zajac Jr. was a Canadian swimmer who competed in the 100m breaststroke at his home Olympics, the 1976 Montreal Games. He also represented Canada at the very first FINA World Championships held in Yugoslavia in 1973. He additionally swam stateside for Arizona State University.
Tragically, Zajac Jr. died in 1986 while kayaking in Canada. Eight months later, an avalanche tragically killed his brother, Marty Zajac, who also had attended ASU. In their honor, their family, led by Mel Zajac Sr., founded the Mel Jr. and Marty Zajac Foundation. In addition to sponsoring the swim meet, the foundation runs a home for seniors in British Columbia and the Zajac Ranch for Children.
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