Taylor Ruck is currently one of the top swimmers in the world. She finished her freshman season at Stanford where she won an NCAA title in the 800 free relay and was runner-up in the 200 free and 200 back. She was also third in the 100 back at NCAAs. Ruck turned 19 a month ago as she is approaching her first World Championships for Canada in three weeks.
Swimming World wanted to give a special throwback interview to when Ruck was just 10 years old at the 2011 Far Western Short Course Championships in Morgan Hill, California. She swam seven events at that meet eight years ago.
Taylor Ruck’s Times (SCY)
- 50 free, 26.71, 2nd
- 100 free, 57.96, 1st
- 200 free, 2:02.80, 1st
- 500 free, 5:30.33, 1st
- 100 fly, 1:05.18, 2nd
- 100 IM, 1:06.18, 2nd
- 200 IM, 2:19.13, 1st
In this interview, Ruck talked about how different it was competing at a meet like the Far Westerns with people from all over the country. She also talked about how she was able to go faster after swimming best times a few weeks prior. Ruck also named her favorite freestyle drill and some of her goals for the rest of her weekend.
Ruck said she wanted to go under 5:30 in the 500 at finals that night, but she was just short with a 5:30.33. Her 500 free finals swim can be viewed below.
Taylor Ruck in 2019
Although Ruck swims internationally for Canada, she represented Scottsdale Aquatic Club in Arizona for many years. She was born in Canada and moved to Arizona when she was 1. She left Arizona in the summer of 2017 to train in Toronto under national team coach Ben Titley for her senior year of high school. Ruck trained in Toronto through the 2018 Pan Pacs and then moved to California to start her freshman season at Stanford in the fall of 2018.
She made her first Olympic team in 2016 by qualifying to swim on both of Canada’s free relays, which won bronze medals. Ruck won seven medals at the 2017 World Junior Championships in Indianapolis. At that meet, she helped set world junior records in all three women’s relays.
Ruck also had the fastest time in the world in the 200 LCM free in 2018 with a 1:54.44, taking down Katie Ledecky in the process with her swim at Pan Pacs. She moved up to fifth all-time in the event.
Ruck is currently ranked 3rd in the world in the 100 back (58.55), 5th in the world in the 200 back (2:06.70) and 15th in the world in the 200 free (1:56.97). She will have a chance to win multiple medals at the World Championships in three weeks.
Taylor Ruck at the 2019 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships; Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
Other Notable Interviews:
Swimming World TV also caught interviews at the same meet in 2011 with 12-year-olds Ryan Hoffer and Maxime Rooney.