Kharun wins Canada's 1st men's medal in pool since 2012

Canadian swimmer Ilya Kharun won a bronze medal in 200m butterfly Wednesday, becoming the first male swimmer since Brett Hayden and Ryan Cochrane in the 2012 London Olympics to win a medal for the country.

Kharun set a Canadian record with a time of 1:52.80 and is the first Canadian to win a medal in the event. Hometown hero Leon Marchand overtook Hungarian world-record holder Kristof Milak in the last 50m to set an Olympic record time of 1:51.21 and earn his second gold of the Games.

The 19-year-old entered the race with the third-fastest time, only behind Milak and Marchand. Milak, the reigning Olympic champion in the discipline, held the lead for the majority of the race before a good underwater swim by Marchand put the Frenchman back into contention. Marchand was the reigning world champion of the 200m butterfly.

This is Kharun's third season swimming internationally. In his first world championships in 2023, Kharun finished fourth in the 200m butterfly while setting the previous Canadian national record. He will swim in the 100m butterfly heats Friday.