PARIS – Josh Liendo loves everything about an Olympic final. The pressure. The competition. The need for speed. And now especially, the glittering medal that will go around his neck as the product of all the work and dedication it took to get there.
The Toronto swimmer became the second member of the resurgent Canadian men’s team to reach the podium when he finished second in the 100-metre butterfly final. But he wasn’t the only Canadian swimmer to get a medal in the race: Teammate Ilya Kharun finished behind him with another bronze — his second of the Games.
The medal performance was the culmination of three years of training to build off his first Olympics in Tokyo which drove him to a commitment like never before to race with the world’s best.
“I love to be out there with those big guys,” Liendo said in an interview prior to the Games. “I thrive off of being next to someone who is going fast. I always want a challenge and I always want to be in a final and racing in that high-pressure environment.”
While still young in the sport, especially on the men’s side, Liendo is seen as the leader of the Canadian men who are determined to match some of the success the women have had at the Olympic pool.
It also pushed Swimming Canada’s medal total in Paris to seven, beating the total from the previous two Games, with Summer McIntosh expected to add to it later Saturday night as the favourite in the women’s 200-metre medley.
Liendo was well-regarded in the 100-butterfly coming into Paris 2024 having finished second and third respectively at the previous two world championships. Those performances gave him confidence coming into his Olympic year, as did his success competing as a Florida Gator in Gainesville where he trained alongside veteran U.S. standout, Caeleb Dressel.
Swimming in five events in Tokyo, which included a credible fourth in the 4x100m freestyle relay provided the Olympic taste that fuelled him the most. It certainly left a profound impression on Liendo given that those Tokyo Games were his first major international competition.
“The final of the Olympics, that’s where you find out whose able to execute under the most pressure,” Liendo said in an interview prior to the Games. “I just want to be able to execute. It’s racing at its best and I love to race.
“I love to be out there with those big guys. I thrive off of being next to someone who is going fast. I always want a challenge. I like being in a final and racing in that high-pressure environment.”
Liendo, a team captain here, is thrilled to be part of the improving men’s side and to join the women in their success at the Games dating back to Rio 2016.
“You just keep learning this sport and getting better, that’s what I’ve done over the last four years,” Liendo said. “Obviously getting bigger, stronger and more experienced helps a lot for sure. We’re starting to show that we’re world class and I’m excited about that.”