Matthew Cao Breaks 11-12 Canadian Age Record in the 200 IM

By Braden Keith on SwimSwam

2023 Mies Schootman Invitational

• January 20-22, 2023
• Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Short Course Meters (25 meters)
• Full Meet Results

12-year-old Matthew Cao of the Pacific Sea Wolves in British Columbia broke a Canadian National Age Group Record last weekend in Vancouver.

He swam 2:15.94 in the 200 IM (short course meters), which broke the former Canadian Record of 2:16.88 that was set by Justin Jung in 2019. Jung has continued his success as he has climbed the age groups, though his focus has shifted more toward breaststroke races: last season, he was Canada’s best 15-year-old performer in the 200 long course meter breaststroke.

Cao, like Jung, is a great breaststroker. Interestingly, he was even a full second better than Jung on that breaststroke split, though Jung set himself up for a much faster closing 50 meters.

Splits Comparison:

Jung’s record was also the previous Swim BC provincial record. The swim is the fastest by a Canadian 11-12 this year by almost six seconds.

Cao won a whopping 10 individual events in the three-day meet, setting best times in all but two of them. That includes freestyler, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly races – the kind of versatility that benefits his IMs.

Cao’s other meet results:

• 100 free – 57.60 (PB)
• 200 free – 2:05.03 (PB)
• 100 back – 1:05.27 (PB)
• 200 back – 2:25.30 (PB)
• 100 breast – 1:11.69 (PB)
• 200 breast – 2:32.97 (PB)
• 50 fly – 29.16 (PB)
• 100 fly – 1:03.69 (PB)
• 200 IM – 2:15.94 (PB)
• 400 IM – 4:53.17 (PB)

SwimSwam: Matthew Cao Breaks 11-12 Canadian Age Record in the 200 IM