Taylor Ruck wins third race — in third different stroke — at Canadian swimming trials

MONTREAL — Taylor Ruck has joined some elite company.

The 26-year-old from Kelowna, B.C., captured gold in the women’s 100-metre butterfly with a time of 58.15 seconds on Tuesday, becoming just the second Canadian after Summer McIntosh to win national trials titles in three different strokes.

“That’s crazy,” Ruck said. “I’ve never really thought of fly as my event. I mean, it was my first stroke when I was 10.

“It was just for fun this year, so yeah. I feel it’s definitely really cool to just be able to go out there and see what can happen.”

Ruck previously won the 100-metre backstroke on Sunday, posting her best time since 2019 (58.37) to finish ahead of longtime champion Kylie Masse, before claiming the 100 freestyle Monday at Montreal’s Olympic pool.

The three-time Olympian — and four-time medallist in relays — is enjoying a resurgent season two years out from the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

“The first two days, I feel like I saw times that I haven’t seen in a long time,” she said. “That’s been just encouraging and showing just how much my heart was in training this year, and just focusing on detail. I feel this is just a celebration of this year.”

Elsewhere, Ella Jansen won gold in the women’s 400-metre freestyle hours after world-record holder McIntosh pulled out of the event with an illness.

Jansen, a 20-year-old Olympian from Burlington, Ont., clocked a time of 4:08.05, winning her second event of the meet after also claiming the women’s 200 freestyle.

The 19-year-old McIntosh, who swam the race in 3:54.18 last year in Victoria, withdrew from the remainder of the competition after setting the fastest time in the preliminary heats.

The four-time Olympic medallist broke the longest-standing women’s individual record in the 200 butterfly Sunday before winning the 400 individual medley Monday.

“It is such a different race without her in it,” Jansen said. “I’ve been racing her since I was 10 so it’s really always an awesome opportunity to get to race her.”

Finlay Knox of Okotoks, Alta., claimed the men’s 100 fly (51.82) with Olympic silver medallist Josh Liendo absent and Paris Games bronze medallist Ilya Kharun having switched allegiances to the United States.

In other results, Ethan Ekk won the men’s 400 free (3:47.22), Sophie Angus took the women’s 50-metre breaststroke (30.40) and Canadian record holder Oliver Dawson claimed the men’s 50-metre breaststroke (27.65).

The trials run through Thursday at the Olympic pool and serve as qualification for next month’s Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine, Calif.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2026.

Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press