Taylor Ruck Is Back! Canadian Swimmer Posts First 100 Back Best Time Since 2019

2026 Bell Canadian Swimming Trials

• July 5-9, 2026
• Montreal, Canada — Montreal Olympic Pool
• LCM (50 Meters)
• Meet Central
• Pan Pacific Championships Selection Criteria
• Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• How To Watch
• Recaps:
  • Prelims: Day 1
  • Finals: Day 1

Originally published on July 5, 2026. 

26-year-old Taylor Ruck entered Canadian Trials without a long course best time in a primary event since 2019. At 26, it would have been easy to write off the end of her career. But on Sunday evening in Montreal, she booked her ticket to the Pan Pacific Championships with a 58.37 in the 100 backstroke.

That swim put her out on top of a deep Canadian backstroke field, with Kylie Masse (58.87), Ingrid Wilm (59.21), and Madison Kryger (59.59) also going under 1 minute in the event.

Ruck’s previous best time in the event was a 58.55 done at the 2019 Canadian Swimming Trials more than seven years ago. Of note, her opening split on Sunday of 28.16 is also her personal best time in the 50 meter backstroke.

Splits Comparison:

While the breakthrough was an unlikely one, the signs have been there in recent months for Ruck.

She is now in Canada training at the High Performance Centre in Vancouver after spending most of her life (including her youth and college) training in the United States.

At the Mare Nostrum in Barcelona in May, she swam 58.71 in the 100 back. That was a very different split, marking 28.76/29.95 on the front and back halves.

At the Canadian Open in April, she swam 57.71 in the 100 fly, the conclusion of an absolute ripthrough of her previous best times over the calendar year. Her previous fastest was a 1:04.41 from 2015 when she was just 15 years old, and she was faster than that 11 times in 2026 before this week. She now ranks #8 all-time in Canadian swimming history.

That 100 fly might be the most interesting race in her lineup from a medals perspective headed toward LA. Last year, Canada had to use Summer McIntosh, the new 200 fly World Record holder, on the butterfly leg of their 400 medley relay. She split 57.35, which is a good time for a non-sprinter but probably isn’t enough to win any medals at the Olympic Games. McIntosh also probably has a 56-low (or better) split in her at her best.

But Ruck gives Canada a much better individual presence in that race, along with diverse medley relay options. Masse split 58.77 at Worlds on backstroke while Ruck split 52.99 on freestyle as that relay finished 5th.

If Ruck continues to go best times throughout the week, things become really exciting for Canada, who need to find some relay medals to pump up McIntosh’s legacy in conversations about the greatest ever. At the moment, the 800 free relay could feature McIntosh, Ruck, and some combination of young talent currently in the 1:57-1:58 range. Neither Ruck nor McIntosh swam that race at Worlds, and Ruck seems clearly focused on the 100 meter events*, but with a possible relay medal in sights, maybe both of them could be enticed back to the 200 free for Los Angeles.

*Ruck’s 2026 best in the 200 free is a 2:00.54 from May.

So then the focus returns to the medley relay, where Masse on backstroke and Ruck on freestyle continues to make sense. It takes some pressure of the breaststroke leg, which is the weak link here.

Regardless of what it means for relays, Ruck’s return to best times is an exciting sight for swim fans in both Canada, the country she represents, and the United States, the country where she lived most of her life.