Cieplucha, Smith, relay team win medals at world short-course swimming championships

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — Tessa Cieplucha and the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay raced to gold, while Rebecca Smith captured silver on a three-medal day for Canada on Thursday at the world short-course swimming championships.

Cieplucha, a 23-year-old Olympian from Oakville, Ont., won the 400-metre individual medley in a personal-best time of four minutes 25.55 seconds.

Cieplucha finished 0.97 seconds ahead of Ireland’s Ellen Walshe. American Melanie Margalis earned bronze with a time of 4:26.63. Bailey Anderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., was fifth. 

Kayla Sanchez, Olympic champion Maggie Mac Neil, Smith, and Katerine Savard set a Canadian short-course record to win the relay in a time of 3:28.52.