Liendo wins 100m butterfly gold at Commonwealth Games; gymnast Black tops women’s all-around

By the Editorial Team · Monday, July 27, 2026

Canadian swimmer Joshua Liendo defended his men’s 100-metre butterfly title at the Commonwealth Games with a meet record time of 50.42 seconds, narrowly beating Australian competitors Matthew Temple and Ben Armbruster. This win adds to Liendo’s growing list of accolades, following his 2022 Commonwealth gold and 2024 Olympic silver, emphasizing his continued dominance in the event.

Canadian swimmer Joshua Liendo successfully defended his men’s 100-metre butterfly title at the Commonwealth Games on Sunday, delivering a meet record time of 50.42 seconds at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre. The 23-year-old from Toronto held off a strong challenge from Australian competitors Matthew Temple and Ben Armbruster, who finished with times of 50.43 and 50.58 seconds, respectively.

Liendo described his race strategy as focusing on a strong start and maintaining control throughout. “I felt like I got a good start. That’s what I wanted. From that point forward I just focused on building on that momentum and not overdoing the first 50, but I wanted to really nail it off that turn and finish strong,” he said following the event.

This victory marks a successful title defense for Liendo, who also won gold in the same event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games before securing a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Less than an hour and a half after his butterfly win, Liendo competed in the men’s 50-metre freestyle but came up short of a podium finish, placing fourth with a time of 21.55 seconds. Australian swimmer Cameron McEvoy claimed gold in that event, touching the wall in 20.97 seconds, followed by fellow Australians Flynn Southam (21.44) and Jamie Jack (21.47).

“I was super pleased to be in that race with them,” Liendo said of the 50-metre freestyle final. “I’m happy with the night overall. This meet’s harder. It’s a bit shorter, but this is what I train for, and I try to be ready every time.”

In women’s swimming, Canadian Kylie Masse earned a silver medal in the 100-metre backstroke, marking her 10th career Commonwealth Games medal—a record for Canadian female swimmers. The 31-year-old from LaSalle, Ontario, recorded a time of 58.77 seconds, finishing behind Australia’s Iona Alexandra Anderson. Masse held a 0.44-second lead at the midway point of the race but was overtaken in the final stretch. South Africa’s Olivia Nel took bronze with a time of 1:00.09.

The Commonwealth Games continue to showcase strong performances from Canadian athletes across multiple disciplines, with gymnastics also highlighted by Halifax’s Ellie Black, who achieved a historic milestone as the first person to win two all-around gymnastics crowns at the event.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.