A look at five things to know from Wednesday at the 2024 Paris Olympics

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This article was published 07/08/2024 (401 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PARIS – From Alysha Newman’s historic medal to disappointment for Andre De Grasse, here are five things to know from Wednesday at the 2024 Paris Games:

RARE AIR

Alysha Newman accomplished what only two other Canadian athletes before have ever done — win an Olympic pole vault medal. Newman is the first Canadian woman to do it after winning bronze with a Canadian-record vault of 4.85 metres. And for Canada’s last pole vault medallist, you have to go all the way back to William Halpenny’s bronze at the 1912 Stockholm Games. Edward Archibald’s bronze at the 1908 London Games is the only other Olympic pole vault medal in Canadian history.

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DEFENCE DENIED

Andre De Grasse’s defence of his Olympic 200-metre title came to an end after he finished third in his semifinal. The 29-year-old from Markham, Ont., revealed after the race that he had a hamstring injury that first surfaced a month ago. De Grasse admitted that his coach Rana Reider having his accreditation revoked on Tuesday also served as a distraction. It’s been a tough Olympics for De Grasse, who also missed the 100 final after winning bronze in the event at the last two Games.

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BEACH BEST

For the first time ever, a Canadian women’s beach volleyball team will play for an Olympic medal. Toronto duo Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson advanced to the semifinals at Paris’s Eiffel Tower Court with a 21-18, 21-18 win over Spain’s Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno. Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson have caught fire in the knockout stages after narrowly advancing from group-stage play. Canada’s lone Olympic beach volleyball medal came in 1996 when the men’s duo of John Child and Mark Heese took bronze in Atlanta.

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BOUTIER’S BIRDIES

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French favourite Celine Boutier got off to a great start in the women’s golf competition in Paris, posting an opening round of 7 under. Boutier had eight birdies at Le Golf National, including a run of three straight from holes 14-16 to cement her lead. Hamilton’s Alena Sharp was the top Canadian at 1 under, while Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., opened at 2 over.

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BOXING CONTROVERSY

Boxer Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan advanced to the gold-medal bout in the women’s featherweight division amid misconceptions about her gender at the Paris Olympics. Lin defeated Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkey 5:0 and will fight for gold on Saturday. Her win comes one day after welterweight Imane Khelif of Algeria reached her weight division’s final with a third straight victory in Paris. Lin and Khelif have dominated all of their Olympic bouts despite the fallout from the International Boxing Association’s decision last year to disqualify both fighters from the world championships for allegedly failing an eligibility test.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2024.