Four-time Olympic medalist Taylor Ruck has announced that she will not be competing at the 2023 Canadian Swimming Trials this week in order to rest. The meet will be used to select the team for the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan this summer and Ruck was entered in the 100 free (ranked first), 200 free (ranked second), and 100 back (ranked third.)
“I need to put myself in the best position to perform to my goals at the Olympics next year,” Ruck told Swimming Canada about her decision. “Right now that means I need to unplug for a little while, so I can come back refreshed and ready to be at my best in the pool.”
The Stanford senior just finished a busy NCAA season where she defended her NCAA Championship title in the 200 free at the women’s NCAA Championships in Knoxville, Tennessee. Ruck also swam on Stanford’s 800 free, 200 free, and 400 free relays, all of which placed second, and she helped Stanford to a third-place finish overall. In December, she represented Canada at the 2022 FINA World Swimming Championships in Melbourne.
After NCAAs, Ruck joined a training group at the High Performance Centre in Ontario in order to prepare for Trials. But, she was feeling exhausted and ultimately decided to take a break. After discussing her long-term swimming plans with Stanford head coach Greg Meehan, HPC-Ontario head coach Ryan Mallette, and Swimming Canada High Performance Director and Swimming Canada National Coach John Atkinson, they supported her decision to withdraw from the Canadian Trials.
“We need to keep the long-term best interests of each individual athlete at the forefront,” Atkinson said in Swimming Canada’s press release. “With so many events on the calendar last year, and between now and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, not every swimmer is going to be able to swim them all.
Olympic champion Penny Oleksiak also withdrew from the Canadian Trials in order to continue recovering and rehabilitating from the knee injury she suffered in the summer of 2022.
“Everybody’s got to do what they need to do on their path, based on where they are physically and mentally. Everybody’s on their own path to Paris, and those paths are going to converge next year.”
It appears that her break will not be too long, though, as both Atkinson and Ruck plan on her training at the Swimming Canada camp in Mallorca in May and then racing at Mare Nostrum.
Without those two names the women’s races will be fairly pedestrian
I’m thinking she is retiring
Why would she announce she’s going to compete in a month if she’s about to retire?
She is taking an extended break cause she is exhausted yet she is going to travel overseas to a training camp in May? Doesn’t make sense she will get some rest and come to her senses. I wonder if the whole Stanford team was overtrained this season.
That’s going to seriously hurt the Canadian relay teams medal chances, but very happy for her that she is taking care of herself. Hope to see her even stronger then at the Olympics.
With Ruck and Oleksiak not competing at Trials, the relay team at Fukuoka will be heavily impacted.
I wonder if team addition by discretion is possible for these two.
There goes my relay prediction.
Honestly I can see it
Does that impact their ability to qualify their relays for Paris?
Only top 3 teams in Fukuoka will have a direct Paris qualification. Other quotas will be filled in Doha World Champs. However, most teams will aim to qualify in Fukuoka as Doha Champs is just 159 days away from Paris.
No, you can qualify in Fukuoka. The top 3 in Fukuoka automatically qualify, but then the rest of qualifiers can use their best relay result from either Fukuoka or Doha
With Oleksiak and Ruck both out, looks like Summer might sneak onto the free leg of the medley relay. She’s the 5th fastest Canadian in the past 3 years. Oleksiak, Ruck and Sanchez are all out, and MacNeil will swim fly. Smith and Savard are very close behind, but obviously Summer is much more likely to rip a new PB than they are.
Unfortunately 400IM is on the same day (last day) and I suspect her program will be huge. Not sure if Summer is the best bet for that. Although Summer is young and very capable to do doubles so lets see
She did a 3;59 400m free at commonwealths and proceeded to split 53low anchor not even 15min later. She’ll be fine.
Kids…..