2021 CANADIAN OLYMPIC SWIMMING TRIALS
One of the fastest women in the 200 freestyle over the last five years won’t be contesting the event in Tokyo.
Taylor Ruck swam to a time of 2:01.06 in the women’s 200 freestyle preliminaries on Day 2 of the 2021 Canadian Olympic Trials in Toronto, ranking her 12th in a field of 19 swimmers and effectively out of tonight’s final in the event.
The Canadian Trials are racing 10-swimmer finals, so Ruck would need a pair of scratches to get slotted into tonight’s session.
Ruck, 21, had a breakout 2018, especially in this event, winning both the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championship titles over the likes of Ariarne Titmus and Katie Ledecky.
Ruck’s best time and Canadian Record stands at 1:54.44, set at the Pan Pacs, which ties her for fourth among all women since the conclusion of the 2016 Olympic Games.
Women’s 200 Free LCM Rankings, Sept.1, 2016 – Present
- Ariarne Titmus (AUS), 1:53.09 – 2021
- Federica Pellegrini (ITA), 1:54.22 – 2019
- Katie Ledecky (USA), 1:54.40 – 2021
- Taylor Ruck (CAN) / Siobhan Haughey (HKG), 1:54.44 – 2018 / 2020
Ruck was among the early nominees to the Canadian Olympic team in the women’s 100 free, and qualified in last night’s 100 back, but it doesn’t look like she’ll be competing individually in the 200 free at next month’s Games.
Penny Oleksiak, who has already been nominated to the team in the 200 free, paced the prelims in a very solid time of 1:57.07, her fourth-fastest swim ever and good for 15th in the world.
14-year-old Summer McIntosh, who has likely qualified for the team in the 400 freestyle despite not racing it on Day 1, lowered her 13-14 National Age Group Record in 1:57.40 to qualify second, having set her previous mark of 1:57.65 just over a month ago.
Rebecca Smith (1:58.70), Katerine Savard (1:58.71) and Mary-Sophie Harvey (1:58.94) were the next three up, while Brooklyn Douthwright set a new best of 1:59.12 for sixth. Kayla Sanchez, who owns a best of 1:57.23, also advanced in 1:59.20.
In the men’s 200 free it was the top two swimmers from last night’s 400 final that led the heats, with Jeremy Bagshaw the lone man cracking the 1:50 barrier in 1:49.60. Bagshaw was the runner-up on Saturday in the 400 free to Peter Brothers, who qualifies second for the final tonight in 1:50.08.
The Canadian men have not qualified for the 800 free relay at the Olympics.
Cole Pratt, who qualified for the Olympic team in last night’s 100 back, was notably a no-show in the event.
The second set of Canadian Trials prelims will be at 12:30 ET with the women’s and men’s 100 breaststroke.
