Ruck wins 200 at Pan Pacific, Ledecky gets 3rd

TOKYO » Taylor Ruck almost psyched herself out before the race even started.

Knowing she was swimming against five-time Olympic champion Katie Ledecky in the 200-meter freestyle on Thursday at the Pan Pacific Championships, the Canadian had to calm herself down as she readied to dive into the pool.

“It’s the name, I guess, because she is the fastest woman on the planet in a lot of races,” Ruck said of the American great. “My coach kind of saw that, so he told me to focus on my lane and my race.”

Ruck won the 200 in 1 minute, 54.44 seconds, just ahead of Japanese rival Rikako Ikee. Ledecky was third in 1:55.15.

It wasn’t a lost day. Ledecky took the 800 in 8:09.13 — the fifth fastest on record.

American teammate Lilly King did her thing. The Olympic champion in Rio again won the 100 breaststroke, this time in 1:05.44.Other American winners included Jordan Wilimovsky in the 1,500, Townley Haas in the 200 freestyle, and Chase Kalisz in the men’s 400 individual medley.