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

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/08/2024 (741 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PARIS – From a relay stunner to shot put disappointment, here are five things to know from Friday at the 2024 Paris Games:

GRABBING GOLD

No Canadian sprinters reached an individual final in Paris, but the men’s 4×100 relay was a different story. 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 Stade de France. De Grasse, the anchor, crossed the finish line in 37.5 seconds to help 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. The 29-year-old De Grasse etched his name in the record books by tying swimmer Penny Oleksiak for most Olympic medals by a Canadian with seven.

—

RECORD-TYING SILVER

Canada’s Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson claimed silver in women’s beach volleyball with a loss to Brazil’s Ana Patricia Ramos and Eduarda Santos (Duda) Lisboa in the gold-medal final. The Toronto pair lost two of three tilts in pool play and had to win a lucky-loser match before rattling off three more victories to reach the final. It’s Canada’s best-ever result in Olympic beach volleyball. The silver also pushed Canada’s medal haul to 24, which ties Canada’s best total at a non-boycotted Games with two days of competition left.

—

SHOT PUT SHOCKER

A Canadian podium in women’s shot put felt like a sure bet entering Friday’s action, but gold-medal favourite Sarah Mitton was eliminated from the final after three throws. The 28-year-old from Brooklyn, N.S., fouled on her third attempt and only reached 17.48 metres in the final, placing her 12th when she needed to be in the top eight to continue competing. Mitton won silver in the event at last year’s world championships and had the best qualifying throw of 19.77 metres on Thursday.

—

BRONZE IN THE BOAT

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

The Warm-Up

Winnipeg Jets Game Days

On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.

Sign up for The Warm-Up

Sign Up

I consent to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies.

I consent to CASL agreement.

New partner, same result. After winning bronze alongside Laurence Vincent-Lapointe in Tokyo, Canada’s Katie Vincent combined with Sloan MacKenzie in Paris and finished third again in the women’s doubles 500-metre sprint canoe final. Vincent, of Mississauga, Ont., and MacKenzie, of Windsor Junction, N.S., finished in one minute 54.36 seconds, behind gold-medallists Shixiao Xu and Mengya Sun of China. Ukraine upset Canada with a late push to claim silver in a photo finish.

—

OVER IN A HURRY

Hannah Taylor’s dreams of an Olympic medal were dashed in 24 seconds on Friday. That’s how long the 26-year-old wrestler’s bronze-medal bout in the 57-kilogram weight class lasted. Helen Maroulis of the United States pinned Taylor to capture bronze, leaving the Canadian just short of the podium. “I wish I could have given her more of a go,” Taylor said, calling Maroulis an idol. “She caught me right at the start, so sucks for me.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 9, 2024.