Canadian swimmers Taylor Ruck and Summer McIntosh had contrasting performances at the Pan Pacific championships in Irvine, Calif. Ruck secured a silver medal in the women’s 100m butterfly and later clinched bronze as part of the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team, bringing her total medal count to five in the competition. Ruck set a personal best time of 56.71 seconds in the 100m butterfly, finishing second behind American Gretchen Walsh. Australian Alexandria Perkins claimed the bronze in 56.75.
Expressing her joy, Ruck mentioned her focus on rest and relaxation between races, leading to her successful performances. McIntosh, on the other hand, faced disappointment after failing to qualify for the A final in the women’s 400m freestyle event despite winning the B final. She took full responsibility for the misjudgment and vowed to learn from the experience.
In the men’s events, Canadians Blake Tierney and Ethan Ekk achieved podium finishes in the men’s 200m backstroke, with Tierney securing silver and Ekk taking bronze. Tierney highlighted the significance of both athletes being on the podium. McIntosh, despite her setback, remains optimistic and is looking forward to competing in the 200m IM event.
Ruck continued her success by guiding Canada to a bronze medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay alongside her teammates. The Canadian women’s relay team finished third, while the U.S. and Australia claimed gold and silver, respectively. However, the Canadian men’s 4x100m freestyle team narrowly missed a podium spot, finishing fourth behind the U.S., Australia, and Japan.