2018 COMMONWEALTH GAMES
- Thursday, April 5th – Tuesday, April 10th (swimming)
- Optus Aquatic Centre, Gold Coast, Australia
- Prelims at 10:30am local (8:30pm previous night EDT)
- Finals at 7:30pm local (5:30am EDT)
- Official Commonwealth Games website
- Entries
- Meet Schedule + Results
- Live Stream (Canada)
- Live Stream (US)
- Live Stream (Australia)
Canadian Taylor Ruck continued her string of standout performances at the Commonwealth Games on Saturday, lowering the Canadian Record in the 50 free final en route to a silver medal.
Ruck clocked 24.26, lowering Chantal van Landeghem‘s national mark of 24.39 set at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, and tying Australian Bronte Campbell for the silver medal. This result is even more impressive considering she originally wasn’t entered in the event, but was added as Canada decided to scratch Penny Oleksiak in favor of Ruck. Bronte’s sister Cate Campbell won the gold in 23.78, lowering the Commonwealth, Oceanic and Australian Records in the process.
Prior to these Games, Ruck’s best time on record in the event was a 25.03 from January of this year at the Austin Pro Swim.
It wasn’t too long after that Ruck was back in the water for the women’s 100 back final, where she faced off against the world’s best in teammate Kylie Masse and Australian Emily Seebohm. Ruck had a phenomenal performance, registering a new best time of 58.97 to win the bronze medal.
Already four medals deep at these Games, Ruck will look for another tonight as she anchors Canada in the 4×200 free relay. She already won gold in the 200 free and silver in the 4×100 free relay on night 1. She’ll also swim the 100 free, 200 back and 400 medley relay later in the meet.
There is a general misconception that 200free race is a long sprint or speed endurance. Who knows what it is. You can see among the elite of this distance both sprinters and long distance swimmers. This meet just proved this when hot sprinter Taylor Ruck and not sprinter Ariarne Titmus showed same time at 200.
Among best performers who were under 1:54.8 you won’t find anybody whose styles and approaches to this race look similar. The best example to illustrate the weirdness of this event is already mentioned by PETER Femke Heemskerk with her 1:54.6 The sprinter who has under her belt 51 split in 100free swam her best race in 200 with NEGATIVE splits. Whenever she tried to… Read more »
Not common to see a woman able to swim so fast in the 50 free and the 200 free. 24.26 in the 50 free and 1.54.83 in the 200 free. Logically her perfect event is the 100 free with that mix of speed and endurance.
She will have tough choices to do about her schedule in 2020. Back or free? Both? 100 or 200? Both?
On paper she could bring home 8 or 9 medals in Tokyo. But it’s just on paper of course. 🙂
I think it’s far more common to see women do it than men. Dana Vollmer comes to mind.
Phelps and Spitz?
Phelps’ best was a 22.94 in the 50 free. Nowhere near the level of his 200 free.
When Spitz swam, the 50 free wasn’t a part of the Olympic or World Championship schedules. Don’t believe he ever won it at NCAAs. So, not sure that Spitz fits that bill either.
VDH won medals at Sydney Olympics bronze in 50 free and golds in 100-200 free both in wr times back then
Heemskerk in 2015 had a 24.6 and a 1:54 if I’m not wrong. And the most obvious example is Sjostrom 23.6 and 1:54.0!
Sarah Sjostrom, Femke Heemskerk, Libby Trickett, Inge De Bruijn, Jenny Thompson, etc.
Far more women than men.
Penny who?
Oleksiak