Swimmer Josh Liendo wins gold as Canada continues its gold-medal run at the Commonwealth Games

Maya Laylor

Toronto’s Josh Liendo swam to a 100-metre butterfly gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the Sandwell Aquatics Centre in Birmingham, England.

The 19-year-old’s time of 51.24 seconds was good enough to edge silver medallist James Guy of England by 0.16 seconds. Australia’s Matthew Temple took bronze. Fellow Canadian Finlay Knox was seventh.

Liendo broke through at the 2022 FINA world championships in Budapest in June when he won three medals, including bronze in the individual 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly and as the lead racer in the mixed 4×100 freestyle relay.

In doing so, he became the first Black Canadian swimmer to ever climb the podium in an individual event at worlds.

The Canadian swimmer grabbed the win at the wall in a tightly contested race at the Commonwealth Games on Tuesday.

Josh Liendo

In April, Liendo broke his own national record in the race with a time of 50.88 seconds at the Canadian swim trials in Victoria.

Canada’s Maya Laylor broke two Commonwealth records en route to a gold medal in the women’s 76 kg weightlifting event.

The 27-year-old Toronto native lifted 100 kg in her first snatch attempt to take the lead in the program before posting Commonwealth records of 128 kg in the clean and jerk and 228 kg in total.

“The snatch is a hit or miss, everyone would say so,” Laylor said. “I didn’t have it quite there yet in the snatch, but kept focused for the clean and jerk. I opened at 123, that was a strong lift, and then 128, went for the Commonwealth record, did that . . . I gave it my all today.”

The Canadian set games records with her clean and jerk lift of 128kg and her total weight lifted of 228kg on Tuesday.

Silver medallist Taiwo Liadi of Nigeria lifted 96 kg in the snatch and 120 kg in the clean and jerk, coming 12 kg shy of the Canadian. Maximina Uepa of Nauru had a total of 216 kg for bronze.

Laylor also took gold in the same category at the 2021 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent. Two years before that, the Canadian won the 71 kg title in Apia.

Olympic medallist Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard captured the women’s judo -63 kg gold medal by defeating England’s Gemma Howell by ippon in golden score.

The Canadian 3×3 basketball squads went four for four in medals at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, in an effort highlighted by the women’s squads gold medals.

Sarah Te-Biasu scored a buzzer-beater basket to propel Canada to the women’s 3×3 able-bodied basketball title in a 14-13 win over England.

Te-Biasu had seven points to lead Canada, with Taya Hanson adding five of her own. Rosalie Mercille and Tara Wallack contributed with one point each.

Kady Dandeneau of Pender Island, B.C., scored six points to lead Canada to 14-5 rout of Australia in the women’s 3×3 wheelchair basketball final.

Tamara Steeves of Mississauga, Ont., added four points while Élodie Tessier of Saint-Germain de Grantham, Que., and captain Tara Llanes of North Vancouver, B.C., each posted two each.

Canada’s men’s 3×3 wheelchair basketball team also made it to its tournament’s final, narrowly missing out on gold in a 11-99 loss to Australia and having to settle for silver.

Colin Higgins of Rothesay, N.B., had five points, while Quebec City’s Vincent Dallaire added three. Four-time Paralympian and captain Bo Hedges of Wonowon, B.C. added one more point for Canada.

Canada will take on England for the women’s 3×3 basketball gold.