Florida’s Josh Liendo just misses 100m freestyle final cut at Paris Olympics

Florida swimmer Josh Liendo advanced through heats and nearly made it to the 100-meter freestyle semifinal at the Paris Olympics.

Josh Liendo, a junior the Florida swimming team, placed 11th in the semifinals of the 100-meter freestyle at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.

Swimming for the Canadian National Team, Liendo finished third in the final of 10 heats with a 48.35. Tied for the 10th-fastest time in heats, Liendo advanced to the semifinals, which is split into two heats.

Liendo posted a slightly faster time of 48.06 in the second semifinal, placing sixth in his heat and 11th overall. Only the top eight advance to the final, with the ninth and tenth fastest swimmers serving as reserves.

This was Liendo’s second Olympic Games. He participated in the 100-meter free during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finishing 14th in the semifinals, so this is an improvement.

Liendo is participating in a number of events this year for Team Canada. So far, he’s placed sixth in the 4×100 freestyle relay, posting a 47.93-second split — that time would have secured him the eighth and final spot of the 100-meter freestyle.

He is also competing in the 50-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly and 4×100-meter medley relay.

Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.