Medal streak ends for Canada at Paris Olympics

PARIS – The Maple Leaf was not raised connected Day 10 of nan Paris Olympics aft Canadian athletes were held disconnected nan podium for nan first clip astatine nan Games.

The women’s 3×3 hoops squad had fixed dream that Canada would agelong its opening badge streak to a grounds 10 days erstwhile it led nan United States halfway done its bronze-medal game.

But nan Canadians couldn’t bent on, meaning Canada would clasp astatine 17 medals (five gold, 4 silver, 8 bronze) entering nan last six days of competition.

The 9 consecutive days of winning a badge aft nan opening ceremonial adjacent Canada’s capacity astatine nan 2016 games successful Rio de Janeiro.

The badge drought isn’t expected to past long. Camryn Rogers of Richmond, B.C., is nan dense favourite to triumph golden successful nan women’s hammer propulsion connected Tuesday. And respective Canadian athletes group themselves up for imaginable medals down nan roadworthy pinch beardown performances Monday.

Andre De Grasse began his defence of his Olympic 200-metre title, qualifying for nan semifinals by finishing 2nd successful his power down 100-metre champion Noah Lyles of nan United States.

Caeli McKay qualified for nan last of nan women’s 10-metre level diving. And nan formation volleyball tandem of Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson knocked disconnected nan second-ranked squad successful nan world to book a spot successful nan quarterfinals.

In women’s 3×3 basketball, nan squad of Edmonton twins Katherine and Michelle Plouffe, Paige Crozon of Humboldt, Sask., and Kacie Bosch of Lethbridge, Alta., had a mates of chances to adhd to Canada’s badge tally.

The squad mislaid a heartbreaking semifinal 16-15 to Germany, which scored nan winning constituent successful nan past second. They past seemed to beryllium successful power of their bronze badge match, earlier turnovers and fouls sent them to a 16-13 nonaccomplishment to nan Americans, who won golden astatine nan Toyko Olympics.

The Canadian squad was making its Olympic debut aft not qualifying erstwhile nan athletics made its debut 3 years ago.

Katherine Plouffe had 5 points for Canada successful nan third-place game, while Michelle Plouffe and Bosch each added three.

The Americans sewage six points from Hailey van Lith.

On nan track, nan 29-year-old De Grasse, from Markham, Ont., crossed nan decorativeness statement successful 20.30 seconds.

De Grasse, who has been patient successful 2024 aft 2 years battling wounded and trying to find his aged form, missed nan 100 last connected Sunday night.

But he has done acold amended successful nan 200. He closed past play pinch his fourth-best clip ever pinch 19.76 seconds to triumph nan Diamond League title successful September.

“I’m emotion OK. It’s bully to beryllium back, moving nan 200m aft past nighttime (Sunday),” De Grasse said. “I’ve sewage a time disconnected now, and get fresh for nan semifinals.

“That’s nan plan, to take sides nan title. Right now, I’ve conscionable sewage to attraction connected me, make judge I suffice done nan rounds and spell from there.”

Also Monday, Alysha Newman precocious into her first Olympic women’s rod vault final. The 30-year-old from London, Ont., cleared 4.55 metres connected her first effort successful qualifying action to advance.

And Jean-Simon Desgagnes earned nan past qualifying spot for nan men’s 3,000 steeplechase final.

The 26-year-old from Quebec City vanished 5th successful Heat 3 pinch a clip of 8 minutes 25.28 seconds to return nan past qualifying spot successful his power for Wednesday’s final.

McKay, of Calgary, vanished seventh retired of 18 successful nan semifinal connected Monday aft scoring a full of 308.85 complete 5 dives.

China’s Quan Hongchan and Chen Yuxi topped nan scoreboard, pinch 421.05 and 403.05 respectively, pinch Britain’s Andrea Spendolini Sirieix coming successful 3rd pinch 367.00.

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“The job’s done for today. The job’s not done for nan full event. I’m really happy I made nan finals. It was a very up-and-down day,” said McKay, assessing her performance. “I had immoderate bully stuff. I had immoderate not-so-great stuff. Overall, I was comparatively consistent, which I was really happy with. I person a batch of worldly I tin amended on, truthful I’m rather relieved pinch that.”

McKay said it’s wide-open for bronze connected Tuesday, but expects nan Chinese divers to return golden and silver.

Ottawa’s Kate Miller was eliminated successful nan preliminary information aft coming successful 20th — 2 spots beneath nan cutoff — pinch a people of 266.30.

At Eiffel Tower Stadium, Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson made nan astir of their lifeline successful nan women’s formation volleyball tourney pinch a 2-0 triumph complete Americans Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss successful nan Round of 16.

Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson, seeded 4th successful Paris, struggled successful preliminary information play. They vanished 3rd successful their group astatine 1-2 and made it done to nan knockout rounds acknowledgment to a 2-0 triumph complete Czechia successful nan “lucky loser” round.

But now nan Toronto tandem is simply a triumph distant from competing for a badge aft nan 21-19, 21-18 triumph complete nan Americans. Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson will adjacent look Spain’s Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno connected Wednesday.

“We are treating each crippled for illustration a tournament, for illustration a full caller tournament,” Wilkerson said. “And now we are connected to nan adjacent one.”

Elsewhere, Canada’s creator swimming squad led by individual world champion Jacqueline Simoneau of Saint-Laurent, Que., was 5th successful nan 10-country section aft nan method routine.

Claire Scheffel of Brantford, Ont., says nan Canadian swimmers return connected nan domiciled of “forest magicians” for their routine.

“At nan end, we really bring location nan powerfulness and nan state of nan birds successful nan forest, and that magical emotion to adjacent our routine,” she said. “We telephone it our ‘freedom arms’. We really spell for it. We springiness our past push, our power. We return power from nan crowd and effort and springiness it backmost to nan judges.”

The squad regular is scheduled for Tuesday, and nan arena ends Wednesday pinch nan acrobatic routine.

This study by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2024.