PARIS — From a relay smash to a shot put disappointment, here are five things to know about the 2024 Paris Olympics on Friday:
GET GOLD
In Paris, no Canadian sprinters reached an individual final, but it was a different story in the men’s 4×100 relay. The Canadian team of Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake and Brendon Rodney ran to gold ahead of South Africa and Great Britain in a thrilling final at the Stade de France. De Grasse, the tail runner, crossed the finish line in 37.5 seconds, helping Canada improve on its silver medal at the Tokyo Games three years ago. The Canadian men also won bronze at Rio 2016 and gold at the 2022 world championships. De Grasse, 29, entered the record books by tying swimmer Penny Oleksiak for the most Canadian medals with seven Olympic medals.
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Record-breaking silver
Canadians Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson took silver in women’s beach volleyball after losing to Brazil’s Ana Patricia Ramos and Eduarda Santos (Duda) Lisboa in the gold medal final. The Toronto duo lost two of three group matches and had to win a lucky loser match before winning three more and reaching the final. It is Canada’s best ever finish in Olympic beach volleyball. The silver also gives Canada 24 medals, which is Canada’s best total in non-boycotted Games, with two days to go in the competition.
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Shot put shocker
A Canadian podium finish in the women’s shot put seemed a sure thing before Friday’s match, but gold medal favorite Sarah Mitton was eliminated from the final after three throws. The 28-year-old from Brooklyn, NS, made a mistake on her third attempt and managed just 17.48 meters in the final, placing her 12th when she would have had to be in the top eight to advance. Mitton won silver in the event at last year’s world championships and had the best qualifying throw of 19.77 meters on Thursday.
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BRONZE IN THE BOAT
New partner, same result. After winning bronze in Tokyo with Laurence Vincent-Lapointe, Canadian Katie Vincent again finished third in Paris with Sloan MacKenzie in the women’s 500-meter sprint canoe final. Vincent, of Mississauga, Ontario, and MacKenzie, of Windsor Junction, New York, finished in one minute and 54.36 seconds, behind gold medalists Shixiao Xu and Mengya Sun of China. The Ukrainian surprised Canada with a late push to take silver in a photo finish.
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OVER NOW
Hannah Taylor’s dreams of an Olympic medal were shattered in 24 seconds on Friday. That’s how long the 26-year-old wrestler’s fight for the bronze medal in the 57-kilogram weight class lasted. Helen Maroulis from the USA defeated Taylor and took bronze, so the Canadian narrowly missed the podium. “I wish I could have given her more chances,” said Taylor, calling Maroulis an idol. “She caught me right at the start, which is a shame for me.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 9, 2024.
The Canadian Press
