Teenage swimmer Taylor Ruck won bronze in the women鈥檚 100-metre freestyle Monday at the Commonwealth Games, tying a 52-year-old Canadian record with her seventh medal of the games.
Canadian Elaine Tanner won seven medals (four gold and three silver) at the 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica. Australians Susie O鈥橬eill (1998 in Kuala Lumpur) and Emily Seebohm (2010 in New Delhi) both won eight medals in a single games.
鈥淚鈥檓 in awe. I didn鈥檛 really expect to get all these medals so I鈥檓 really humbled, honoured and proud to call myself a Canadian,鈥� said Ruck.
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The 17-year-old from Kelowna, B.C., will get a chance at an eighth medal Tuesday when she races in the 4x100 medley relay.
鈥淚鈥檓 definitely looking forward to it. We鈥檝e put a lot of top Canadians in each leg, so it鈥檚 definitely going to be one to watch,鈥� she said.
Ruck is yet to miss the medal podium in seven races to date here, with one gold, four silver and two bronze.
She won gold in the 200-metre freestyle, silver in the 50 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 4x100 and 4x200 freestyle relays and bronze in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke.
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The teen said she was 鈥渏ust so humbled鈥� to tie Tanner鈥檚 mark.
鈥淪he鈥檚 an amazing person and I look up to her a lot,鈥� added Ruck, who won two relay bronze at the Rio Olympics.
Australian Bronte Campbell won the 100 free gold in a games-record 52.27 seconds, ahead of older sister Cate Campbell in 52.69. Ruck clocked a personal best of 53.08.
Toronto鈥檚 Penny Oleksiak was fifth in 53.85 and Kayla Sanchez, also of Toronto, was seventh in 54.30. Oleksiak won Olympic gold over the distance in Rio, where she clocked a Canadian-record 52.70.
Asked where she got her energy, Ruck suggested caffeine.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know. I have one shot of espresso before every race. That is definitely a lot of my energy, and definitely the energy in here buzzes me up a little bit.鈥�
Kierra Smith of Kelowna, B.C., also made it to the podium Monday, winning silver in the women鈥檚 100 breaststroke.
鈥淚鈥檓 so excited, especially after coming fourth in the 200 (breaststroke),鈥� said Smith. 鈥淚 was so disappointed to be off the podium then, so to be able to get my hand on the wall this time in the 100 metres is such a good feeling.
鈥淐oming fourth feels exactly like you think it would. Coming second feels so much nicer. 鈥�
Australian swimmers dominated the night, winning four of nine finals and 15 of the 27 medals on offer.
Canada has won 16 medals to date in the pool: three gold, eight silver and five bronze.
Four years ago, Canadian swimmers won 11 medals (4-1-6) in Glasgow.
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