Canada's Josh Liendo wins silver, sets Canadian record in men's 100m butterfly

Canadian swimmer Josh Liendo won a silver medal and set a new Canadian record at the World Aquatics Championships on Saturday in Fukuoka, Japan.

The 20-year-old Markham, Ont., native finished second in the 100-metre butterfly final in a time of 50.34 seconds.

Maxime Grousset, of France, took gold in 50.14, while American Dare Rose claimed bronze in 50.46. The 24-year-old Grousset took the early lead and held on for the victory.

Liendo won bronze at last year's worlds and is the reigning Commonwealth Games champion in the distance.

WATCH | Liendo claims silver in men's 100m butterfly:

Kylie Masse, of LaSalle, Ont., finished fifth in the women's 200m backstroke final.

Australia's Kaylee McKeown won gold in 2:03.85, while American Reagan Smith (2:04.94) and China's Peng Xuwei (2:06.74) took silver and bronze, respectively.

Masse, who finished in 2:07.52, won silver in the event at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. The 27-year-old fell just short of the 100m backstroke podium in Fukuoka with a fourth-place finish in the final on Day 3.

McKeown's victory gave her a sweep of all three backstroke events here, after her earlier wins in the 50 and 100. She became the first swimmer ever to sweep all three backstrokes at the worlds.

McKeown took the lead at the final turn and steamed home in 2:03.85. She joined Leon Marchand of France and Qin Haiyang of China as swimmers who swept all three events in the same discipline at these worlds.

In the mixed 100 freestyle relay, Canada's Maggie Mac Neil, Mary-Sophie Harvey, Ruslan Gaziev and Liendo were fourth in 3:23.82.

Australia stood atop the medal podium with a world record clocking of 3:18.83, followed by the United States (3:20.82) and Great Britain (European record 3:21.68). 

Katie Ledecky added to her legacy as the greatest female swimmer in history when she won the 800 freestyle, establishing two more notable records with the triumph.

The victory by the 26-year-old American made her the first swimmer ever to win the same event six times at the world championships and also marked her 16th individual world title, breaking a tie with Michael Phelps for the most individual gold ever at the worlds.