Ruck, Masse add to medal haul in pool
Canadian Kylie Masse won her second gold in as many nights and teenager Taylor Ruck added a silver Sunday to up her total to six in the Commonwealth Games pool.
Masse, who won the 100-metre backstroke on Saturday, set a games record Sunday in taking the 200 backstroke in two minutes 5.98 seconds. Ruck was second in 2:06.42 with Australian star Emily Seebohm third in 2:06.82.
Hilary Caldwell of White Rock, B.C., was fifth in 2:09.22.
Canada won three more medals Sunday, with Sarah Darcel of Grande Cache, Alta., and Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson of Ottawa collecting silver and bronze, respectively, in the 200 individual medley won by England’s Siobhan Marie O’Connor.
Para-swimmer Philippe Vachon of Blainville, Que., won bronze in the men’s SM8 200metre IM final.
Ruck is on track to make history with six medals in six events so far here (one gold, four silver and a bronze). The 17-year-old from Kelowna, B.C., still has the 100 freestyle and likely the individual medley relay to go.
Masse, from Windsor, Ont., is the world champion and world record holder in the 100 backstroke. Her 200 time Sunday was one one-hundredth of a second off her Canadian record.
Canadian gymnasts had a day to remember Sunday with a sixpack of medals highlighted by Shallon Olsen’s gold and Scott Morgan’s silver and bronze.
The haul of one gold, three silver and two bronze raised Canada’s total to nine gymnastics medals (3-4-2) with one day of competition remaining.
Canada came into the day with three gymnastics medals: gold for the women’s team and Halifax’s Ellie Black in the individual allaround, and silver for the men in team event.
Morgan, from North Vancouver, started Sunday’s run with a silver in the men’s floor exercise before Zach Clay of Chilliwack, B.C., earned bronze in the pommel horse.
Olsen, from Surrey, B.C., and Black then went 1-2 on the women’s vault.
“Absolutely fantastic,” said Olsen.
“The crowd was so uplifting and supportive I can’t thank everybody enough for this opportunity. It’s just great to be out there representing Canada.”
Morgan then took bronze in the rings and Calgary’s Brittany Rogers earned silver in the women’s uneven bars.
On a day of weightlifting high drama, Canadian Boady Santavy put on a record-breaking performance.
But defending champion Steven Kari of Papua New Guinea went one better.
The 20-year-old from Sarnia, Ont., had to settle for silver Sunday in the men’s 94-kilogram division while Kari wept for joy atop the medal podium after snatching gold from the Canadian with a do-or-die clean-and-jerk lift of 216 kilograms. India’s Vikas Thakur took bronze.
There is real-life drama awaiting Santavy back home in the wake of a hit-and-run that left a man seriously injured. Santavy was charged with failing to remain at the scene of the collision after turning himself in, according to a Sarnia police statement dated March 19.
He was released on a promise to appear in court.
Humboldt, Sask., native Paige Crozon had 10 points in a losing cause Sunday as Canada was beaten 100-61 by Australia in women’s basketball play at the Commonwealth Games.
A Canada Basketball spokesman said the 23-year-old Crozon had decided to keep playing in the wake of the horrific crash back home that saw a semitrailer collide with a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos hockey team.
The accident left 15 dead and 14 others injured.
Canadian Mohammed Ahmed earned silver Sunday in the 5,000 metres on the first day of track and field.
Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei won gold in 13 minutes 50.83 seconds, ahead of Ahmed in 13:52.78 and Kenya’s Edward Zakayo in 13:54.06.