Josh Liendo Sets World Record in 100-Meter Butterfly

Florida swimmer Josh Liendo set a world record in the 100-meter butterfly Thursday in Toronto in the opening night of the World Aquatics Swimming World Cup.

Liendo, a senior, represented Canada at the meet. He touched in at 47.68 seconds, shattering the short course meters Canadian Record. More notably, he took the World Record from Noe Ponti by just three-hundredths of a second. 

Liendo dominated the race from the start, taking the lead almost immediately. He split 10.26 on the first 25-meters, just seven hundredths off of the world record pace. He controlled the lead through the entire race, pulling away before the final 25, where he split 0.26 seconds ahead of Ponti. 

Liendo’s Canadian teammate, Illya Kharun, finished second with a 48.35, giving Canada a commanding 1-2 finish. Ponti, the previous world record holder, placed third with a 48.38. 

Later that evening, Liendo captured another win in the 50-meter freestyle, clocking a 20.31 to beat U.S. swimmer Jack Alexy by nearly four-tenths of a second and set a World Cup record. 

The Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre has long been a fast one for Liendo, where he trained up until transferring to the University of Florida in 2022. It’s where he set his first Canadian record in 2017 and qualified for his first Olympic team. The Canadian standout is a two-time Olympian and 19-time All-American.

A captain for the Gators men’s swim team, Liendo is one of Florida’s leaders in the 2025-2026 season. Florida’s men’s team finished fourth at the 2025 NCAA Championships this past season. Liendo earned 57 individual points and took home NCAA titles in both the 100 freestyle and butterfly. 

The Gators most recently faced the University of Virginia last week. Florida competed without Liendo, who was racing at the World Cup. 

Florida will compete at home Oct. 30-31 for their first conference meet of the season, hosting Georgia in Gainesville.

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Swimming and Diving, Not Latest