Penny Oleksiak anchors Canada’s silver medal win in swimming relay
Posted July 24, 2021 10:54 pm.
Last Updated July 25, 2021 6:16 am.
Canada has won its first medal at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Penny Oleksiak and Kayla Sanchez of Toronto, Margaret Mac Neil of London, Ont., and Rebecca Smith of Red Deer, Alta., finished in a time of three minutes 32.78 seconds as Canada won silver, picking up a medal in the event for a second straight Games.
Canada won bronze five years ago in Rio.
Oleksiak swam the anchor leg and narrowly beat out American Simone Manuel at the wall. It’s the fifth career Olympic medal for the 21-year-old, tying her with Lesley Thompson-Willie and Phil Edwards for the most medals ever won by a Canadian Summer Olympian.
Mac Neil swam the second leg only an hour after qualifying for the 100-metre butterfly final.
Australia took gold, setting a new world record while defending the title they won in Rio. Australia’s winning time of 3:29.69 was more than three seconds ahead of the Canadians.
The United States took bronze. It is their 23rd medal in this particular event.
Canada’s women are looking to duplicate the success they had in the pool at the 2016 Rio Games, where they picked up six medals.
