Ruck ‘still in shock’ over Commonwealth Games gold
GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA Taylor Ruck has been surprising people for months. On Thursday, she surprised herself.
The 17-year-old phenom from Kelowna won the 200-metre freestyle final in a Commonwealth Games and Canadian record time of one minute 54.81 seconds, erasing the mark of 1:55.57 set four years ago by defending champion Emma McKeon of Australia.
“Going into this race, I think my expectations were just to try and get third, which is what I was going in at (as the third-highest qualifier),” said Ruck, who won two relay bronze medals in the Rio Olympics. “So anything better than that I was just going to be super happy.”
Ruck had to stave off a hardcharging Ariarne Titmus in a heart-pounding final lap.
“An absolutely tremendous performance,” said Swimming Canada high-performance director John Atkinson.
Ruck then teamed up with Toronto’s Penny Oleksiak and Kayla Sanchez and Alexia Zevnik of Montreal to earn silver in a 4x100 relay won by Australia in a world-record time of 3:30.05. Ruck brought the Canadians home with a blistering 51.82-second anchor leg for a time of 3:33.92. The Canadian record is 3:32.89, set by Oleksiak, Ruck and company in Rio.
Canada picked up another silver in the pool thanks to Sarah Mehain of Vernon, placing second in the women’s S7 (para) 50-metre butterfly. Tess Routliffe of Caledon, Ont., was third, but did not get a bronze because there were only four competitors.
Ruck was second behind McKeon over the first 100 metres, but led after 150 metres and held off Titmus, who was fourth midway through the race, to touch the wall first.
“Great athletes know how to finish races and she finished it off well,” said Atkinson.
Ruck wasn’t so sure.
“I saw Ariarne coming up and I thought she won. So it was like, ’Oh my gosh,’ when I looked up at the board. I think I’m still in shock.”
Oleksiak, who won the 100 freestyle in Rio, but did not compete in the 200 there, was seventh in 1:59.55. Oleksiak finished second in her 100 butterfly semifinal to qualify for Friday’s final.
Ruck, who was born in Kelowna but moved to Scottsdale, Ariz., with her family when she was young, switched things up last year after failing in April to qualify for the world championships.
She moved to Toronto in May to train with coach Ben Titley at the High Performance CentreOntario.
“Ben refocused her on going to the world junior championships,” said Atkinson.
Ruck responded by winning seven medals — six gold and one silver — at the 2017 FINA world junior championships.
She came to the Commonwealth Games with four times in the top eight in the world (in the 100 and 200 backstroke and 100 and 200 freestyle).
There were five other finals Thursday with England winning four and Australia one.
Ottawa’s Erika SeltenreichHodgson finished 0.28 seconds out of a medal, finishing fourth in the women’s 400 individual medley. Victoria’s Sarah Darcel led for more than half the race, but finished fifth. Mary-Sophie Harvey of Trois-Rivieres, Que., was eighth.
Victoria’s Jeremy Bagshaw was fifth in the men’s 400 freestyle.