Speedo Canadian Open: Oliver Dawson, Taylor Ruck Twice Take Down Meet Records
Taylor Ruck took down two more meet records, and Oliver Dawson added an emphatic one on the second night of the Speedo Canadian Open.
Ruck set the meet mark in the 100 backstroke on the opening day of the meet at the Edmonton Kinsmen Sports Centre in Alberta on Thursday. She eschewed the 50 back to attempt the 50 butterfly, in which she lowered the meet record to 26.29 in prelims. She was even faster at night, going 26.12 to win by nearly eight tenths over Matea Gigovic, the record holder from 2025 at 26.87.
That was the second swim of Ruck’s double. Earlier in the session, she went 53.80 to win the 100 freestyle, clipping a tenth off the time that Summer McIntosh set in 2024.
Second to Ruck was Bella Sims, who went 55.18. She was also second in the 200 free. Ella Jansen, winner of the 400 free, was third in 55.34, followed by Leah Tigert and Brooklyn Douthwright.
Jansen was third in the 50 fly in 27.21, a tenth up on Ingrid Wilm. Wilm started the session by going 28.21, winning the 50 back by eight tenths over Bridget Burton.
Dawson set a pair of meet records in the men’s 200 breaststroke. He went 2:12.82 in morning prelims, improving on the 2024 time of Jordan Willis at 2:13.26. No one stayed close in the final, Dawson blasting a time of 2:09.52 that brushes within seven tenths of the full Canadian record – Mike Brown’s 2:08.84 from the Beijing Olympics in 2008 – and was nearly 7.5 seconds up on Apollo Hess and the field.
Antoine Sauve doubled up on wins by claiming a tight men’s 100 free in 49.26. The 200 free winner edged Daniel Kirchevsky by .13 seconds. Ole Eidam was third in 49.62, followed by Laon Kim in 49.94. Mainstays Yuri Kisil and Finlay Knox were fifth and sixth, respectively.
Eidam returned later in the session to win the 50 fly. He set the meet record at 23.66 in prelims, then sped up at night to 23.41 to win. Second was Eric Ginzburg, last year’s record holder at 24.03, in 24.09. Knox was third.
After finishing second in the 50 breast, Sophie Angus claimed the women’s 200 breast with ease in 2:32.97. She was more than a second clear of Marley Monsen. Alexanne Lepage, the winner of the 50 breast, was third in prelims in 2:37.21, .03 quicker than Angus, but scratched the final.
Javier Acevedo won the men’s 50 back in 25.84, edging Inbar Danziger by .01 seconds. Parker Deshayes was third in 25.90.
Aiden Kirk and Delphine Piatera-Mercier both doubled up on titles in the distance events. Kirk went 8:10.86 to add the 800 free title to the 1,500, his winning margin just shy of six seconds. Piatera-Mercier was nowhere near as dominant as in the longer race, her 8:58.27 just .98 seconds up on Elleigh Wise for the win.
