Looking back at Canada’s podium performances
SATURDAY, AUG. 6
No Canadian woman had won an Olympic medal in swimming since Marianne Limpert in Atlanta in 1996. That changed on the opening day of the Rio Games, setting the tone for things to come. On the podium: Toronto’s Penny Oleksiak, Chantal Van Landeghem of Winnipeg, Sandrine Mainville of Boucherville, Que., and Taylor Ruck of Kelowna, B.C. Oleksiak and Ruck became the first athletes born in the 21st century to win an Olympic medal.
SUNDAY, AUG. 7
The 16-year-old sensation from Toronto won her second medal of the Games — a silver — behind only Swedish star Sarah Sjostrom, who set a new world record.
MONDAY, AUG. 8
Canada won the first Olympic medal ever awarded in rugby sevens, a bronze, with a 33-10 win over Great Britain. The victory followed a heartbreaking 17-5 semifinal loss to eventual champion Australia earlier in the day. On the podium: Brittany Benn, Napanee/Belleville, Ont.; Hannah Darling, Warsaw/Peterborough, Ont.; Bianca Farella, Montreal; Jen Kish, Edmonton/Ottawa; Ghislaine Landry, Toronto; Megan Lukan, Barrie/ Toronto; Kayla Moleschi, Williams Lake, B.C.; Karen Paquin, Quebec City; Kelly Russell, Bolton/Toronto; Ashley Steacy, Lethbridge, Alta.; Natasha Watcham-Roy, Gatineau/Ottawa; Charity Williams, Toronto.
Canada’s breakthrough in the pool continued with a surprise bronze medal by Masse, of LaSalle, Ont. She finished in a dead heat for bronze, sharing the medal with Chinese swimmer Fu Yunahui.
TUESDAY, AUG. 9
Canada picked up its fourth swimming medal of the Olympics and a third for Penny Oleksiak, who equalled the record for most medals by a Canadian in a single Summer Games. Also on the podium: Taylor Ruck of Kelowna, B.C., Brittany MacLean of Toronto and Katerine Savard of Pont-Rouge, Que.
THURSDAY, AUG. 11
The Toronto teen completed her collection of medals, adding gold to the bronze and silver won earlier. She finished in a tie with American Simone Manuel in an Olympic record time of 52.7 seconds while becoming the first Canadian to win four medals at a single summer Olympics.
FRIDAY, AUG. 12
The duo from Victoria made a desperate charge over the final 1,000 metres, roaring from fifth to second and holding on at the end to win Canada’s second silver medal of the Games.
Canada’s only gold medallist at the London 2012 Olympics, MacLennan carried the flag into the opening ceremony in Rio. In the gym, the King City, Ont., native became the first woman in history to successfully defend a gold medal in trampoline.
The 25-yearold from White Rock, B.C., gave Canada its sixth medal in the pool, a bronze, one more than swimmers had won at the previous four Olympic Games — combined.
SATURDAY, AUG. 13
Jasmin Glaesser of Vancouver, Allison Beveridge of Calgary, Kirsti Lay of Montreal and Georgia Simmerling of West Vancouver, B.C., won bronze with a ride of 4:16.629 — breaking the Canadian record they had set earlier in the day to qualify for the race — behind only Great Britain and the U.S.
It was a bronze that felt like gold, as the Humboldt, Sask. native recovered from a sixth-place position after day one to hit the podium. Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam won gold with 6,810 points. Great Britain’s Jessica Ennis-Hill, the 2012 Olympic champion, was second with 6,775 points and Theisen-Eaton third with 6,653.
SUNDAY, AUG. 14
Canada hadn’t had a 100-metre finalist since Donovan Bailey won gold in Atlanta in 1996 and De Grasse made the most of the opportunity. The 21-year-old from Markham, Ont., confirmed his standing as the third-fastest sprinter in the world by taking the bronze in a career-best 9.91 seconds, behind only Jamaican legend Usain Bolt (who won his third straight Olympic title) and American Justin Gatlin.
MONDAY, AUG. 15
Having already won a bronze in synchro with Roseline Filion of Laval, Que., earlier in the Games, Benfeito was confident heading into the individual event. The Montrealer landed five solid dives to finish third behind a pair of Chinese divers — securing her first individual medal at a major event.
The Stittsville, Ont., native arrived in Rio ranked No. 2 in the world and didn’t disappoint. Conceding just one point in the entire tournament, she wore out Kazakhstan’s Guzel Manyurova in the final en route to a 6-0 win and the 75-kg title. She countered three takedown attempts, scoring two points each time. Canada hasn’t left an Olympics without a medal in women’s wrestling since the sport was introduced to the Olympics in 2004 in Athens.
The 26-year-old from London, Ont., became just the second Canadian to win a medal in decathlon after Dave Steen in Seoul in 1988. The medal didn’t come easily. Late on Day 2, Warner struggled with his first two throws in javelin — which threatened to knock him off the podium — before hitting 63.19 metres on his final attempt. A solid 1,500-metre race secured bronze and he finished with a season-best 8,666 points.
One day after De Grasse and Usain Bolt chatted their way across the line in their 200-metre semifinal heat, it was back to business. Bolt did what he always does: win. But in finishing second, De Grasse became the first Canadian since Percy Williams in 1928 to win a medal in the 200 and 100 metres at one Olympics.
FRIDAY, AUG. 19
It was a fine day indeed for Lamaze, who with Fine Lady 5 finished third in a jumpoff to win his third Olympic medal: a bronze. The Schomberg, Ont., native won two medals eight years earlier in Beijing — gold in individual jumping and silver in the team event — but had struggled to find the right horse after the death of Hickstead in 2011.
They captured the hearts of the nation four years earlier in London when they won bronze. Christine Sinclair and Co. did it again in Rio in even more impressive form, dropping just one match in the tournament. They beat host Brazil 2-1 in Sao Paulo — with Sinclair, of Burnaby, B.C., scoring the winning goal in her 250th appearance with the national team.
This time, the Canadian men’s relay team found itself on the right side of a disqualification. Four years after losing bronze due to a lane violation, Canada won bronze after the the U.S. was disqualified for an illegal exchange. It was the third medal of the Games for Andre De Grasse, who was joined on the podium by Aaron Brown of Toronto, Akeem Haynes of Calgary and Brendon Rodney of Brampton, Ont. It was a third straight gold for Usain Bolt and the Jamaicans, who finished well ahead of secondplace Japan.
SATURDAY, AUG. 20
The 35-year-old from Kamloops, B.C., arrived in Rio with everything but an Olympic medal on her resume, having placed fourth in Beijing and ninth in London. She overcame a crash and a broken shifter barely one lap in to surge from 25th to third to win bronze. It was Canada’s 22nd medal of the Games, matching the best previous Summer Olympic performance (1996) at a non-boycotted Olympics.
SUNDAY, AUG. 21
— Postmedia