Swimmer Taylor Ruck anchors Canada to world bronze in women’s 100-metre relay
Canada has its first swimming medal of the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, courtesy the women’s 4×100-metre freestyle relay team.
Taylor Ruck led the squad to bronze, covering the final 100 metres in 53.26 seconds. Rebecca Smith, Sarah Fournier, Katerine Savard and Ruck combined to finish in three minutes 37.95 seconds.
The Netherlands captured gold in 3:36.61 ahead of Australia (3:37.95).
WATCH | Canada collects world relay bronze in women’s 4x100m event:
Rebecca Smith, Sarah Fournier, Katerine Savard and Taylor Ruck of Canada captured the bronze medal in the 4×100 metre freestyle relay Sunday at the world championships in Doha.
In the men’s 50 butterfly semifinals, Finlay Knox set a Canadian record of 23.25 seconds but it wasn’t enough to qualify for Monday’s final at 11:46 a.m. ET.
The 23-year-old from Okotoks, Alta., finished 1-100th of a second behind the eighth and final qualifier, Inchul Baek of South Korea, while American Michael Andrew was the top qualifier in 22.94.
“I had no expectations, just went in there and had some fun,” Knox told Diving Canada. “Obviously, a little bitter I came ninth [and will miss the final] but the goal wasn’t the 50 [but] prep for the rest of the week, so very happy.”
Earlier Sunday, Knox swam with the men’s 4×100 freestyle relay team that finished fifth in its heat and 11th overall in 3:15.74 but didn’t advance to the final.
The 200 individual medley, which he won at the Pan Am Games last October in Santiago, Chile, is the main focus in Doha. He will also compete in “a few relays” and the 100 fly.
WATCH | Knox rules 200 IM at Pan Am Games in a time of 1:58.74:
Finlay Knox of Okotoks, Alta., won the Pan Am Games men’s 200-metre individual medley in a time of 1:58.74. Fellow countryman Collyn Gagne of Milton, Ont., finished in fourth place.
Halifax’s Sydney Pickrem and Ashley McMillan of Penticton, B.C., will race in the women’s 200 IM final on Monday at 12:23 p.m.
Pickrem, 26, won the first of two semifinals in two minutes 8.76 seconds ahead of 18-year-old Chinese athlete Yu Yiting (2:08.83). Pickrem is a dual Canadian-American citizen who was born in Florida and whose family is from Nova Scotia.
The two-time Olympian capped her Pan Am Games by winning the women’s 200 IM in a Games record time of 2:09.04 after winning gold in the 200 breaststroke.
Javier Acevedo, Sophie Angus, Emma O’Croinin, Ingrid Wilm, Pickrem, Ruck, Savard and Smith are among the veterans on the roster.
Seven Canadians are making their long-course world championship debut in Doha, including Sienna Angove, Stephen Calkins, Ella Cosgrove, Antoine Sauve, Blake Tierney, Fournier and McMillan.
Relay times from Doha will be ranked against those from last year’s worlds to determine the 16 countries qualified for each relay in Paris.
WATCH | CBC Sports’ Devin Heroux, Brittany MacLean preview World Aquatics:
Olympic medallist Sydney Pickrem – along with Taylor Ruck and rising star Ingrid Wilm – headline a Canadian team looking to make a splash when World Aquatics swimming runs Feb. 11-18.
