Cochrane, rugby women in Canadian spotlight

Five Canadian storylines to watch on Saturday as Olympic competition gets underway in earnest:

UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Ryan Cochrane has some extra incentive to make it to the 400-metre freestyle final at the Rio Games. The Victoria swimmer was denied a spot in the 400 final four years ago in London, missing out by one-hundredth of a second when gold medallist Park Tae-hwan had his disqualification overturned. Cochrane, who has Olympic silver and bronze in the 1,500 metres to his credit, says there’s no reason he can’t add a medal in the 400 metres to his collection.

ENEMY UNKNOWN: Canada will face an unfamiliar opponent when it takes on Zimbabwe in women’s soccer action. The team known as the Mighty Warriors was a surprise qualifier out of Africa and is playing in its first international tournament. The 10th-ranked Canadians say they’re not taking Zimbabwe lightly as they look to build on a 2-0 opening win over Australia.

RUGBY RENAISSANCE: It’s an exciting time for sevens rugby, which makes its Olympic debut in Rio. The Canadian women’s team has a legitimate shot at one of the sport’s first medals after finishing third this season in the HSBC Women’s Sevens Series standings. Canada opens its podium quest with games against Japan and Brazil.

WARRIOR WOODS: Mike Woods didn’t let a painful injury keep him out of the Rio Olympics. The Ottawa cyclist broke his hand in three places and hurt his back after crashing during a race in April. But he proved to be a quick healer and will join Antoine Duchesne and Hugo Houle to form Canada’s contingent in the men’s road race.

COMING HOME: Montreal judoka Sergio Pessoa makes his second Olympic appearance as he competes the under-60-kilogram event in Rio. Pessoa was born and raised in Sao Paulo before his family moved to Canada in 2005. Pessoa received his Canadian citizenship in 2009 and represented Canada at the 2012 London Games, finishing 17th in the under-60 event.