Team Canada won six more medals on Sunday in events with Olympic status at the Mare Nostrum swim meet in Barcelona, Spain. Canadian Olympic bronze medalist Taylor Ruck of Kelowna, British Columbia led the Canadian swim team with two gold medals as she won the women’s 100 metre backstroke and 200 metre backstroke. Kayla Sanchez of Scarborough, Ontario also won two medals as she captured silver medals in the women’s 100 metre and 200 metre freestyle. Canada’s other two medals in events with Olympic status came from Mack Darragh, who won silver in the men’s 200 metre butterfly and Rebecca Smith of Red Deer, Alberta, who won silver in the women’s 100 metre butterfly.
In the women’s 100 metre backstroke, Ruck had a winning time of 59.88 seconds. Phoebe Bacon of the United States won silver with a time of 59.9 seconds. Alexandra Walsh of the United States won bronze with a time of 1:00.52 seconds. Ruck earned a medal by 0.87 seconds over Alicja Tchorz of Poland, who was in fourth place with a time of 1:00.75.
In the women’s 200 metre backstroke, Ruck had a winning time of 2:08.46. Bacon won the silver medal with a time of 2:09.33. Katinka Hosszu of Hungary won the bronze medal with a time of 2:10.81. Ruck earned a medal by 3.41 seconds over Africa Zamorano Sanz, who had a fourth place time of 2:11.87.
In the women’s 100 metre freestyle, Sanchez had a second place time of 54.28 seconds. Anna Hopkin of Great Britain won the gold medal with a time of 54.2 seconds. Michelle Coleman of Sweden won the bronze medal with a time of 54.52 seconds. Sanchez earned a medal by 0.33 seconds over Lidon Munoz Del Campo of Spain, who was in fourth place with a time of 54.61 seconds.
In the women’s 200 metre freestyle. Sanchez had a second place time of 1:57.78. Barbora Seemanova of the Czech Republic won the gold medal with a time of 1:57.72. Julia Mrozinski of Germany won the bronze medal with a time of 1:58.41. Sanchez earned a medal by 0.96 seconds over Holly Hibbott of Great Britain, who was in fourth place with a time of 1:58.74.
In the women’s 100 metre butterfly, Smith had a second place time of 58.81 seconds. Hosszu won gold with a time of 57.8 seconds. Angelina Koehler of Germany won the bronze medal with a time of 59.01 seconds. Smith reached the podium by 0.3 seconds over Penny Oleksiak of Toronto, Ontario.
In the men’s 200 metre butterfly, Darragh had a second place time of 1:57.99. David Thomasberger of Germany won the gold medal with a time of 1:57.38. Luiz Altamir Melo of Brazil won the bronze medal with a time of 1:58.63. Darragh won a medal by 0.66 seconds over Maxim Schemberev of Azerbaijan, who had a fourth place time of 1:58.65.
Ruck won Olympic bronze medals in the women’s 4×100 metre freestyle relay and the women’s 4×200 metre freestyle relay at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The gold medal in the women’s 4×100 metre freestyle relay came with Chantal Van Landeghem of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sandrine Mainville of Boucherville, Quebec, Oleksiak and Michelle Williams of Toronto, Ontario. The gold medal in the women’s 4×200 metre relay came with Oleksiak, Katerine Savard of Pont Rouge, Quebec, Brittany MacLean of Etobicoke, Ontario, Emily Overholt of Vancouver, British Columbia and Kennedy Goss of Toronto, Ontario. The medals for Ruck, Sanchez, Smith and Daaragh will give them confidence as they prepare for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
