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PARIS – The Canadian team in Paris was on its way to a record number of Olympic Games at halftime, after a horrific soccer scandal that began before the eco-flame in the Jardin des Tuileries was even lit.
With 15 medals (four gold, four silver, seven bronze) and another already secured in men’s boxing, Canada looked set to surpass the 24 medals won in Tokyo three years ago, the most at the non-boycotted Summer Games.
Canadian athletes won at least one medal each day in the top eight, something one team had already done in Rio in 2016.
“I talked so much before the Games about the breadth and depth of this team, that we would be looking for more medals from more athletes in more sports and disciplines, and I think that’s exactly what we’re seeing,” Canadian Olympic Committee CEO David Shoemaker said on Saturday.
Toronto teenager Summer McIntosh topped the gold medal battle with her third in the pool Saturday.
Her fourth medal in Paris equaled her teammate Penny Oleksiak’s record for the most medals ever for a Canadian at a single Olympic Games.
“I have three boys and they talk about Summer McIntosh all the time,” Shoemaker said.
Canadian women continued the trend of driving the medal bus as they did at previous Summer Games.
They won, or in the case of the mixed doubles they had a knack for it, 11 medals in the first half.
“Dronegate”, which led to football coach Bev Priestman and two other team members being sent home by the COC and the women’s team being stripped six points by FIFA despite appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, was a stain on the escutcheon of a country that claims to embrace fair play.
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The aftermath has left the women’s soccer team’s celebrated former coach, John Herdman, in the spotlight, as evidence emerged that this was not an isolated incident.
Unless more revelations emerge about misconduct in football during the Olympics, Shoemaker says the COC is done imposing punitive measures within its jurisdiction.
“(We) have taken the ultimate sanction that we can impose at the Olympic Games, which is to remove three members of the coaching staff and send them home,” he said.
“We also want to make sure after the Games that we support Canada Soccer, work with Canada Soccer and hopefully to some extent force all stakeholders in the soccer world to do what (CEO) Kevin Blue has set out to do with his independent external review so that we can, as he says, best understand what led to this terrible situation that was a huge distraction for the soccer team before they even kicked the first ball.”
The French women’s football team turned that story around by winning all three of their group stage matches to reach the quarter-finals despite a points drop that should have been disastrous.
The football team lost to Germany on penalties in the quarter-finals in Marseille on Saturday.
“What they have done to unite in the determination and tenacity that they have shown to win by nine points despite the six-point deduction that they were faced with is astonishing to me and quite an achievement really,” said Shoemaker.
“Back in Paris, the other Team Canada athletes knew what was going on in soccer, but it wasn’t a big distraction for them.”
It is the vicissitudes that keep billions of people watching the Olympics, and Canada played a part in that in the first eight days.
McIntosh was expected to win multiple medals and the 17-year-old performed with a determination and composure that far belied her years.
She is in contention for a fifth medal in the medley relay at the swimming final on Sunday, equaling speed skater Cindy Klassen, who has won the most medals by a Canadian athlete at a single Olympic Games.
A bronze medal in fencing marked the first time Canada won an Olympic medal.
The silver medal in the women’s rugby sevens event came thanks to a surprise victory over favourites Australia, which saw them reach the final.
Christa Deguchi’s gold medal was the highlight for a strong judo team that otherwise missed the podium.
Tokyo decathlon champion Damian Warner missed his pole vault three times in Paris and was therefore out of the race for a medal on Saturday.
World boxing champion Tammara Thibeault was knocked out in her opening bout, her first loss since Tokyo.
Canadians finished fourth nine times in the first eight days.
“Things don’t always go our way on the field, and as we all know by now, off the field as well, but we’re doing our utmost to make the Canadians proud,” Shoemaker said.
Canadians to watch in the second half include hammer thrower Ethan Katzberg on Sunday and reigning champion André De Grasse in the 200m heats on Monday and the final on Thursday.
The men’s basketball team plays its quarterfinals on Tuesday, with hammer thrower Camryn Rogers also in action.
Others competing include taekwondo athlete Skylar Park, weightlifter Maude Charron, 800-meter runner Marco Arop, sprint canoeist Katie Vincent, wrestler Justina Di Stasio, sprint cyclist Kelsey Mitchell and sprinter Phil (Wizard) Kim.
“The outlook ahead is just as rosy as the outlook back,” said Shoemaker.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published August 3, 2024.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
