Swimmers, gymnasts lead Canada’s medal haul
With seven podiums, Ruck has chance to tie Commonwealth Games record of eight
GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA Teenage swimmer Taylor Ruck won bronze in the women’s 100-metre freestyle Monday at the Commonwealth Games, tying a 52-year-old Canadian record with her seventh medal of the Games.
Canadian Elaine Tanner won seven medals (four gold and three silver) at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica.
Australians Susie O’Neill (1998 in Kuala Lumpur) and Emily Seebohm (2010 in New Delhi) both won eight medals in a single games.
“I’m in awe. I didn’t really expect to get all these medals so I’m really humbled, honoured and proud to call myself a Canadian,” Ruck said.
The 17-year-old from Kelowna, B.C., will get a chance at an eighth medal Tuesday when she races in the 4x100 medley relay.
“I’m definitely looking forward to it. We’ ve put a lot of top Canadian sin each leg, so it’s definitely going to be one to watch,” she said.
Ruck is yet to miss the medal po- dium in seven races with one gold, four silver and two bronze.
She won gold in the 200-metre freestyle, silver in the 50 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 4x100 and 4x200 freestyle relays and bronze in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke.
The teen said she was “just so humbled” to tie Tanner’s mark.
“She’s an amazing person and I look up to her a lot,” added Ruck, who won two relay bronze at the Rio Olympics.
Australian Bronte Campbell won the 100 free gold in a Games-record 52.27 seconds, ahead of older sister Cate Campbell in 52.69. Ruck clocked a personal best of 53.08.
Toronto’s Penny Oleksiak was fifth in 53.85 and Kayla Sanchez, also of Toronto, was seventh in 54.30. Oleksiak won Olympic gold over the distance in Rio, where she clocked a Canadian-record 52.70.
Kierra Smith of Kelowna, B.C., also made it to the podium Monday, winning silver in the women’s 100 breaststroke.
Canada has won 16 medals to date in the pool: three gold, eight silver and five bronze.
Four years ago, Canadian swimmers won 11 medals (4-1-6) in Glasgow.
After collecting a six-pack of medals Sunday, Canadian gymnasts won a silver and bronze on the final day of artistic competition at the Commonwealth Games on Monday.
Montreal’s Cory Paterson tied for second on the horizontal bar and 17-year-old Shallon Olsen of Surrey, B.C., claimed bronze in the women’s floor exercise.
There were plenty of near-misses on the day, however.
Four Canadians finished fourth, including women’s all-around champion Ellie Black in the floor. Canadian team officials challenged Black’s score, saying one of her leaps was not recognized.
But the inquiry was rejected. “I thought it was a good routine but sometimes that happens and you don’t get the score you’re exactly looking for,” the 22-yearold from Halifax said diplomatically. “But I was proud of that performance and ending up on a good note at these games.”
Black’s performance was stylish and vibrant. But the judges found it lacking.
“It’s a judged sport,” said Ian Moss, Gymnastics Canada’s high performance director.
“You have to take the good and the challenges at the same time.”
Canadian gymnasts won 11 medals (three gold, five silver and three bronze) here, compared to nine (3-3-3) four years ago in Glasgow.
Defending champion Damian Warner of Calgary led Canadian teammate Pierce LePage of Whitby, Ont., after the first day of the decathlon at the Commonwealth Games.
Warner opened with his season-best 10.29 in the 100-metre dash, threw a personal best 15.11 metres in the shot put, recorded 7.54 metres in the long jump and a season-best 2.04 metres in the high jump. He capped off Day 1 by winning his 400 in 48.12 seconds for a total of 4,509 points. LePage was 129 points behind.
Warner is coming off a secondplace heptathlon showing at the world indoor championships in Birmingham, England, losing to France’s Kevin Mayer by just five points despite setting a Canadian indoor record of 6,343 points.
Also Monday, Canadian Tim Nedow won bronze in the shot put. The 27-year-old from Brockville, Ont., threw a season-best 20.91 metres to finish behind New Zealand’s Thomas Walsh (21.41) and Nigeria’s Chukwuebuka Enekwechi (21.14).
Paige Crozon is wearing Canada on her jersey at the Commonwealth Games, but she is now playing for Humboldt.
Basketball has taken the 23-yearold to the University of Utah, a pro team in Germany and now the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
But she was born and raised in Humboldt, Sask., and is hurting following the horrific bus crash involving the Broncos hockey team that left 15 dead and 14 injured.
“The last few days have been very hard,” Crozon said.
“We’ve had a very close family friend that lost his life in the accident. So it’s been a sad couple of days but I can’t even begin to imagine what those families are going through and what everyone else is going through back at home.”
Her Canada teammates have rallied around her.
Crozon scored eight points Monday as Canada defeated Mozambique 85-53 in Townsville to improve to 2-1-0 and assure itself a berth in the semifinal.
I’m in awe. I didn’t really expect to get all these medals so I’m really humbled, honoured and proud to call myself a Canadian.
Robert Pitcairn has flown in the military and foiled a potential hijacker on a commercial flight.
So targeting a record as the oldest competitor to debut at the Commonwealth Games isn’t too daunting. The 79-year-old Canadian made his debut Monday in the Queen’s Prize Pairs Finals in the full bore shooting competition.
He and teammate Nicole Rossignol were ninth after the first day of the final.
“I’m very grateful to be here,” said Pitcairn, who retired as a pilot in 1988 following a career that started when he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force three decades earlier.
“This is my last big pinnacle to solve in my shooting career and I’m going to solve that riddle this week.”
At 79 years and nine months old, he broke the record previously held by England’s Doreen Flanders, who took part in lawn bowls at Glasgow in 2014 a few weeks after her 79th birthday.