Canadian swimmers Taylor Ruck and Summer McIntosh had contrasting performances at the Pan Pacific championships in Irvine, California. Ruck secured a silver medal in the women’s 100-meter butterfly and later added a bronze as part of the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team. These medals marked her fourth and fifth wins in the competition. Ruck achieved a personal best time of 56.71 seconds in the 100m butterfly, coming in second behind American Gretchen Walsh, who finished in 55.15 seconds. Australian Alexandria Perkins claimed the bronze with a time of 56.75.
Ruck expressed her satisfaction with her performance, stating, “This one was a lot of fun. I feel like I got good rest between prelims and finals, and did all the things just to try and feel relaxed, and just trust my body was going to do what it did.” 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 responsibility for the setback, acknowledging her misjudgment in the morning heats.
McIntosh’s frustration was evident as she vowed to learn from the experience and improve. Meanwhile, Tierney and Ekk excelled on the men’s side, securing silver and bronze, respectively, in the men’s 200m backstroke event. Tierney, in particular, celebrated his breakthrough event, winning his first international gold medal in the men’s 100m backstroke. McIntosh, determined to bounce back, will compete in the 200m IM event, where she holds the world record and is the reigning Olympic and world champion.
