Canadian swimmer Josh Liendo is a man on a mission and he’s not afraid to talk about it.
The 19-year-old has been taking down Canadian records in his pursuit of being one of the best swimmers in the world.
On Wednesday night at the Canadian swim trials in Victoria, Liendo broke his own national record in the 100-metre butterfly with a blistering time of 50.88 seconds.
“It was definitely the plan,” he said. “I want to move forward in the future but I wanted to be at this point right now.”
Liendo is not shy about his confidence in the pool — he’s the type of athlete who drives attention when he shows up at the venue.
“I want to get some medals on the international level,” he said. “That’s my goal and I’m not shying away from that. It’s something I want to do and I’m going to say it proudly.
“I just say it. Even if I don’t get there I’m going to say my goals and make it clear to everybody what my goals are. I feel that’s what goal-setting should be. You should say what you want to do.”
There’s a presence about Liendo. And that’s intentional.
“I like to have a little swag. I like to do things my way. And I like to have fun at the end of the day. Some of that swagger and that confidence comes from international experience now and me knowing I have the ability to be great,” he said.
His greatness is building and he’s making history along the way.
This past December at the short course world championships in Abu Dhabi, Liendo got his first medals at a senior international event. He acquired individual bronze in the 50m and 100m freestyle events and was also part of the 4x50m mixed relay that won gold.
With those medals, Liendo became the first Black Canadian swimmer to win a gold medal, and the first to win an individual medal at a major international championships or Games.
That representation is part of what’s motivating Liendo these days.
“It’s so important and it’s exciting to see,” Liendo said. “You love to see it in this sport that there’s more people like me.”
