The 2026 World Aquatics Swimming Short Course World Cup took place in Astana, Kazakhstan this past weekend with Canadian swimmers coming through with three medals. Canadian Olympic silver medalist Taylor Ruck of Kelowna, British Columbia won the gold medal in the women’s 200 metre backstroke on Friday, and the silver medal medal in the women’s 100 metre backstroke on Saturday. Finlay Knox of Okotoks, Alberta won the silver medal in the men’s 100 metre medley on Friday.
Ruck had a winning time of 2:02.29 in the women’s 200 metre backstroke. Anna Peplowski of the United States won the silver medal with a time of 2:03.81. Ellen Walshe of Ireland won the bronze medal with a time of 2:04.33. Ruck reached the podium by 2.82 seconds. Anastasiya Shkurdai of Belarus finished in fourth place with a time of 2:05.11.
Knox had a silver medal winning time of 52.18 seconds in the men’s 100 metre medley. Luke Barr of the United States won the gold medal with a time of 51.91 seconds. Shaine Casas of the United States won the bronze medal with a time of 52.32 seconds. Knox reached the podium by 0.27 seconds over Kliment Kolesnikov of Russia, who finished in fourth place with a time of 52.45 seconds.
Ruck had a silver medal winning time of 56.69 seconds in the women’s 100 metre backstroke. Marrit Steenbergen of the Netherlands won the gold medal with a time of 55.43 seconds. Peplowski won the bronze medal with a time of 57.47 seconds. Ruck reached the podium by 1.16 seconds. Alina Gaifutdinova of Russia was in fourth place with a time of 57.85 seconds.
This was Ruck’s third career gold medal in a swimming World Cup. She previously placed first in the women’s 200 metre backstroke at a Women’s Swimming World Cup in Berlin, Germany on October 13, 2019, and first in the women’s 200 metre backstroke at a Women’s Swimming Short Course World Cup in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on October 10, 2026.
Ruck’s Olympic silver medal came in the women’s 4×100 metre freestyle at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021. The medals for Ruck and Knox will give them confidence as they prepare for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
