4:16
The starting judge asks the swimmers to calm down and relax. There could be a problem. It appears to be the back block in lane one. Yes, it's good that the competitor is staying calm, especially since she's 14 and competing at home for the first time. A great moment for the 14-year-old. A great moment for these athletes as they prepare to go out. They have already left; Cole is hoping to see some magic in lane zero and that's exactly what we saw at the start, with Taylor Ruck flying off-screen in those first 25 meters, but there's
competition coming from South Africa, Poplawski and the rest. Yes, there's Ruck taking the initial lead. Being in lane zero, you won't be able to see exactly where the swimmers are in the center of the pool. So he really needs to focus on his own career; Their strategy is to get off to a fast start, because Ruck can't see what's happening in the middle, but at the same time, Poplawski, Kolper, and Douthwaite can't see how fast Taylor Ruck is going in these first 75 meters. 27.9 in the first 50 meters, only 0.1 away from the world record split. So Taylor Ruck is showing immense form. Like you said, Bobby, it's great to see her back on the international stage with so much power in her stroke. He continues to
comfortably lead. 100 meters swimming. Again, moving very, very fast, but the distance doesn't increase as much as you would expect. 58.2 in the first 100 meters. The split is really fast. That's less than 2 seconds faster than his time in the 100m backstroke final tonight. Ruck used to specialize in this event early in his career, but he hasn't swum long backstroke distances much in recent years. So it's starting to run out now. There's Poplawski making his move. Ruck is really starting to suffer, Poplawski makes a big turn and Ruck starts swimming sideways.
The 200-meter backstroke hurts more than any other event in the pool, and Poplawski senses an opportunity to make a comeback. The swimmer in lane zero has run out of energy. Will Taylor Ruck be able to resist, or will Poplawski surpass her? She's up to the task. Poplawski, stroke by stroke, but Ruck loses by a fraction of a second. Anna Poplawski comes in at the end with an incredible touch to win by 0.1 seconds. Taylor Ruck takes second place. Koban holds the third position, and it seems to have hurt the zero lane a lot. What a result for Poplawski to take the victory! What a finish for Anna Paplowski to win her first World Cup gold medal in her burgeoning career!
He beat Ruck by eight tenths of a second in the last 25 meters. Eight tenths in 25 meters. Ruck is really paying for that initial speed.
