Golden week for swimmer

Photo: Swimming Canada

It was quite the week for Kelowna-born Taylor Ruck.

The 16-year-old swimmer took home four medals at the World Short Course swim championships in Windsor, Ont.

Ruck had never competed at a short course event, where the pool is 25 metres in length. Still, she heads home with two gold, a silver and a bronze.

This on top of the two bronze medals she won at the Rio Olympics.

Two of the four medals came on the final day, Sunday.

Ruck earned her second gold as part of the women's 4x50-metre relay team.

“A gold medal just is amazing every time. It just keeps getting better and better,” said Ruck, after winning her second gold medal.

The silver came in the 4x100-metre medley relay. While Ruck did not swim in the final of the medley relay, she did swim in the heats earlier in the day, allowing her to be presented with a medal.

Earlier in the week, she captured gold in the women's 4x200-metre freestyle relay, and bronze in the 200-metre freestyle.

As was the case in Rio, the women led the way in what was this country's best showing ever at the event.

Canada captured eight medals, including two gold, matching the total from Hong Kong 1999, where Canada did not win gold. Canadian swimmers set 17 new national records throughout the meet, besting the previous high of nine.

Kelowna's Kierra Smith finished fifth Sunday in the 200-metre breaststroke. She failed to qualify for the final in the 50 and 100-metre events.