Olympics Overnight: Fleming helps Canada book a spot in women’s soccer final, Stafford sisters both advance in women’s 1,500 metre

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/08/2021 (1501 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Rise and shine, Olympic fans. Here’s what you missed overnight and need to know about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics this morning.

For all the Summer Games content, visit our Olympics page here.

Happy long weekend!

Canadians across the country, still riding high off a thrilling 100-metre men’s final on Day 9, woke up extra early to watch the highly-antipicated women’s soccer semifinal between Team Canada and their archrivals, Team USA. The match did not disappoint. Jessie Fleming was the hero on Day 10, scoring on a penalty to give Canada their first-ever spot in the Olympic finals.

It was a relatively quiet night for Canada otherwise, with the medal count remaining at 14.

In other news, U.S. track athlete Raven Saunders made a powerful gesture of solidarity on the podium — in what some are calling the first political demonstration of the Games so far.

Plus — Biles is back!

Here’s what else you missed while you were in dreamland.

Canada beats the USA! Canada beats the USA!

What a moment.

Following a perfectly-executed penalty by burgeoning star midfielder Jessie Fleming, Team Canada held on to defeat the U.S. for the first time in two decades.

Now, they will face either Sweden or Australia for their first ever shot at Olympic gold on August 5 at 10 p.m. ET.

The joy was palpable as the victorious Canadians streamed onto the field to celebrate their historic victory. For viewers at home, there passed a brief moment of disbelief — the formidable Americans, led by the unshakable Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan, brought low at last.

Christine Sinclair was spotted laying alone in the grass, absorbing the gravity of the moment. At 38-year’s old, the world’s all-time leader in international goals will finally have her shot at Olympic gold.

More success for Canadian women overnight

The beach volleyball duo of Melissa Humana-Paredes and Sarah Pavan is heading to the quartefinals after dispatching Spain in straight sets on Day 10. They will be joined there by fellow Canadians Heather Bansley and Brandie Wilkerson, who took down the U.S. yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Stafford sisters of Toronto will both move onto the women’s 1,500-metre semifinals after placing seventh and eighth in the qualifying round, respectively.

Raven Saunders makes a powerful statement on the podium

After stealing the hearts of Olympic fans around with the world with her unique style and infectious personality, American athlete Raven “The Hulk” Saunders made the first political demonstration on a podium in Tokyo.

Saunders, who received a silver medal for shotput, lifted her arms overheard to form an “X”, symbol that represents “the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet.” It was a simple but powerful gesture coming from Saunders, a Black and queer athlete who overcame serious mental health struggles on her journey to the pinaccle of her sport.

Predictably — exhaustingly — the International Olympic Committee announced “it is looking into” the incident, which may have violated rules limiting demonstrations on the medal podium. U.S. officials have said they will not punish any athlete for exercising the right to free speech that does not express hatred.

As for Saunders, she seems unfazed.

“I really think that my generation really don’t care,” she said. “At the end of the day, we really don’t care. Shout out to all my black people. Shout out to all my LGBTQ community. Shout out to all my people dealing with mental health. At the end of the day, we understand it’s bigger than us and it’s bigger than the powers that be. We understand that there’s so many people that are looking up to us, that are looking to see if we say something or if we speak up for them.”

Damn straight. Whether Saunders is penalized ultimately will not matter. Her courageous journey to the top is already a part of Olympic lore.

Biles is back!

On Monday, the U.S. Gymnastics announced that superstar Simone Biles will compete for her first medal in Tokyo in the balance beam final on Tuesday. It will be her first competition since she withdrew from the women’s team final Tuesday night, citing concerns for her mental health and physical safety.

Biles will face off against her teammate Suni Lee, who made history last week as the first Hmong American to win an Olympic gold medal, and the first Asian woman (of any nationality) to win Olympic gold in the individual all-around competition.

Laurel Hubbard makes history

On Monday, New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard became the first openly transgender athlete to compete in a solo event at the Olympic games. The 43-year-old is one of three transgender athletes making history in these Games, joining Quinn — of Canada’s soccer team — and Chelsea Wolfe, an American BMX reserve rider.

~ Never gonna keep me down ~

Dutch runner Siffan Hassan got knocked down on the final lap of her 1500-metre qualifying race. Incredibly, she popped right back up to complete the race, finishing the heat in first place.

ICYMI: Tom Daley spotted knitting during the women’s 3-metre diving final

The British diver was apparently knitting a pouch for his medal.

WHAT’S IN STORE FOR TEAM CANADA ON DAY 10

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Sports climbing begins, with Sean McColl representing Canada on the men’s side and Alannah Yip on the women’s. Medals take place on Thursday.

Track cycling team pursuit medals start at 4:20 a.m. ET on Tuesday.

Update on COVID-19

Tokyo is experiencing a record surge in Covid-19 cases during the Olympic Games, though contagion among those linked to the event appears to be relatively contained so far, Bloomberg reports.

To date, organizers have announced 276 positive cases among people connected to the Olympics, including 24 athletes out of the more than 11,000 who are expected to participate. Of over 400,000 tests conducted so far on athletes and stakeholders, the positivity rate has been only 0.02 per cent, organizers said on Monday.