Speedo Canadian Open: Taylor Ruck Opens with Meet Record in 100 Back
Olympian Taylor Ruck opened the Speedo Canadian Open on Thursday with a meet record in the women’s 100 backstroke.
Ruck set the mark in prelims at 59.34 seconds, downing the 2024 mark of 59.93 set by Maggie Mac Neil. Ruck was faster at night at the Edmonton Kinsmen Sports Centre in Alberta, stopping the clock in 59.07 seconds.
Ingrid Wilm finished second in 1:00.24. Bridget Burton finished third.
The meet record went down in the men’s race as well, changing hands in the process. Blake Tierney set the record at 54.79 seconds in 2025, and he threatened it by going 54.93 in prelims. But Inbar Danziger pulled a surprise at night, the Israeli international by way of the University of Michigan going 54.69 to take the record and the win. Tierney was second in 54.94. Raben Dommann finished third in 55.20, four tenths up on Cole Pratt.
Oliver Dawson lowered his meet record in the 50 breaststroke by winning in 27.46. That’s a half-second quicker than the 27.98 he used to win this meet last year. He was decisively better than Apollo Hess, who finished second in 28.48.
Antoine Sauve won a relatively deep men’s 200 free. He went 1:48.82, four tenths ahead of Daniel Kirchevsky. Finlay Knox was third in 1:49.47, with Pratt sixth in the second swim of his double.
Ella Jansen held off American Bella Sims to win the women’s 200 free. She went 1:57.62 to ease to the win ahead of Sims’ 1:59.09. Second was Emma O’Croinin in 2:00.26. Canadian national teamer Brooklyn Douthwright was sixth.
Alexanne Lepage won the women’s 50 breast in 31.94, winning a battle over veteran Sophie Angus by .05 seconds.
Both 1,500 freestyles involved meet records. Aiden Kirk set the meet mark on the men’s side in 15:42.28. He was nearly six seconds up on Oliver Blanchard. In the women’s race, Delphine Piatera-Mercier went 16:46.02 to claim the record, winning by 22 seconds over the field.
Taryn Weatherhead won the women’s 200 butterfly in a thrilling race, going 2:15.22 to edge Juliet Nicholson by .04 seconds. Weatherhead split 35.03 on the final 50, exactly one second quicker than Nicholson to charge back for the win.
Grace Wharton won the women’s 400 individual medley in 4:55.11, outdueling Callie Cardiff by three tenths. Jaques Harrison claimed the men’s 400 IM in 4:26.25, ahead of Kirk. Adrian Cheung won the men’s 200 butterfly in 2:04.42, edging Max Wu by .24 seconds.