Olympic glory! Canadians who won gold, silver or bronze medals at Tokyo 2020

August 08, 2021 - 09:03 BST hellomagazine.com

Olympic glory! Canadians who won gold, silver or bronze medals in Tokyo

1/23

That's a wrap! The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics have officially finished, and it was a very successful Games for Canada!

Canadian athletes won 24 medals, the most since 1984! Back then, Canadians won 44 medals – partly due to the Soviet Union boycotting the Olympics, which took place in Los Angeles that year.

Most of Canada's success at Tokyo 2020 came in the pool. Our women swimmers are some of the best in the world, and they swam way to glory in Tokyo very early.

We also saw several historic medals, including a gold in women's soccer and the men's decathlon.

Overall, Canada won seven gold medals, six silver and 11 bronze.

Scroll through the gallery – or click through, if you're on desktop – to see our athletes who made it onto the podium and experienced some Olympic glory!

Photos: © Getty Images

2/23

Kelsey Mitchell

Sport: Cycling

Event: Women's sprint final

Medal: Gold

On the final day of competition, Aug. 8, Kelsey Mitchell helped Canada finish strong when she earned the gold medal in the women's sprint final.

The 27-year-old is the second Olympic gold medallist in track cycling for Canada. The other is Lori-Ann Muenzer, who won a sprint gold at Athens 2004.

Congrats, Kelsey!

Photo: © Danny Lawson/PA Images via Getty Images

3/23

Katie Vincent and Laurence Vincent-Lapointe

Sport: Canoe

Event: Women's Canoe Double 500m Final

Medal: Bronze

On Aug. 7, Team Canada made history when Katie Vincent and Laurence Vincent-Lapointe earned a bronze medal in the Canoe Double 500m Final during Tokyo 2020. It was the debut event at the Olympics.

Their time was 1:59.041. China won the gold medal and Ukraine nabbed silver.

This is Team Canada's 23rd medal, which is another record!

Congratulations!

Photo: © Adam Pretty/Getty Images

4/23

Women's Soccer

Sport: Soccer

Event: Women's gold medal match

Medal: Gold

Canada's women's soccer team secured a gold medal after a penalty shootout with Sweden in the women's gold medal match on Aug. 6. Julia Grosso scored the winning goal in the penalty round, making the final score 3-2.

Canada and Sweden had been tied 1-1 in the second half.

This is the first gold medal for Canada's women's soccer. Go team!

Photo: © Francois Nel/Getty Images

5/23

Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake, Brendon Rodney and Andre De Grasse

Sport: Running

Event: 4x100m relay final

Medal: Bronze

Team Canada's men's 4x100m relay team, Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake and Brendon Rodney, earned Canada another bronze medal on Aug. 6. They had a time of 37.70.

Italy nabbed the gold and Great Britain earned the silver medal.

This is Andre's sixth Olympic medal, and it has made him the most decorated male Olympian in Canada's history!

Go team!

Photo: © ALEKSANDRA SZMIGIEL/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

6/23

Moh Ahmed

Sport: Running

Event: 5000m Final

Medal: Silver

On Aug. 6, Canada earned its first Olympic medal in the men's 5000m race thanks to Moh Ahmed!

The 30-year-old runner from St. Catharines, Ont., came in second after Uganda's Joshua Cheptegei, who is the record holder.

Moh finished with an incredible time of 12:58.61 seconds.

Well done, Moh!

Photo: © Christian Petersen/Getty Images

7/23

Damian Warner

Sport: Athletics

Event: Decathlon

Medal: Gold

The 31-year-old from London, Ont. became Canada's first Olympic champion in this absolute slog of an event, which features a 100-metre, 400-metre and 1,500-metre sprint, long jump, shot put, high jump, 110 metre hurdles, a discus throw, pole vault and javelin throw. In the process, he picked up 9,018 points, setting an Olympic record!

This is Damian's second Olympic medal in the decathlon. He previously picked up bronze in the event at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Congrats, Damian!

Photo: © Matthias Hangst/Getty Images

8/23

Laurence Vincent-Lapointe

Sport: Canoe sprint

Event: Women's 200-metre individual sprint

Medal: Silver

Trois-Rivières, Que.'s Laurence, who is a multiple world champion in the same event, finished second in Tokyo to pick up her first-ever Olympic medal! Her win comes after months of frustration after she tested positive for a banned substance in 2019 – despite not actually consuming it – and then being unable to compete in several events in 2020 that were qualifiers for Tokyo. Nevertheless, she persevered and she ended up making herself – and all of us at home – proud as she picked up a medal!

Congrats, Laurence!

Photo: © PHILIP FONG/AFP via Getty Images

9/23

Lauriane Genest

Sport: Cycling

Event: Women's keirin

Medal: Bronze

The 23-year-old from Lévis, Que. told reporters she was "stoked" to pick up a medal on Aug. 5, saying she hadn't expected one. The event involves riders cycling six laps around a 250-metre track.

Lauriane's achievement gives Canada only its second ever Olympic medal in a women's individual cycling track event. We haven't won one since 2004.

Congrats, Lauriane!

Photo: © Tim de Waele/Getty Images

10/23

Andre De Grasse

Sport: Athletics

Events: 100-metre sprint and 200-metre sprint

Medals: Bronze and gold

Andre ran his way to a thrilling finish in the men's 100-metre sprint in Tokyo, clocking in at 9.89 seconds to pick up bronze, his fourth Olympic medal to date and the second time he has won a medal in the men's 100-metres event. He also became the first Canadian man to win a medal in Tokyo.

A few days later, Andre won gold in the men's 200-metre sprint, sealing his place among Canadian Olympic legends. It was his fifth Olympic medal, giving him the full spectrum – he also holds a silver and two bronze medals from Rio.

Congrats!

Photo: © Getty Images

11/23

Kylie Masse, Sydney Pickrem, Maggie Mac Neil and Penny Oleksiak

Sport: Swimming

Event: Women's 4x100-metre medley relay

Medal: Bronze

This was Canada's sixth swimming medal at Tokyo, and it gave Penny her seventh Olympic medal to date, making her the most decorated Canadian Olympian of all time. Congrats to the team!

Photo: © Al Bello/Getty Images

12/23

Kylie Masse

Sport: Swimming

Event: 200-metre backstroke final

Medal: Silver

On July 31, Kylie Masse helped Canada earn its 12th medal. The 25-year-old picked up the silver medal in the 200-metre backstroke final at the Tokyo Aquatic Centre with a time of two minutes 5.42 seconds. Australia earned the gold and bronze medals.

This is the Windsor Ont. native's second medal of Tokyo 2020.

Photo: © Rick Madonik/Toronto Star via Getty Images

13/23

Women’s eight-member rowing team

Sport: Rowing

Event: Women's eight final

Medal: Gold

On July 30, Canada's 11th medal was earned by our women’s eight-member rowing team made up of members Lisa Roman, Sydney Payne, Kristen Kit, Susanne Grainger, Christine Roper, Kasia Gruchalla-Wesierski, Madison Mailey and Andrea Proske.

The team won gold at Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo with a time of five minutes 59.13 seconds.

New Zealand took home silver while China nabbed the bronze medal.

Photo: © Naomi Baker/Getty Images

14/23

Caileigh Filmer and Hillary Janssens

Sport: Rowing

Event: Women's pairs

Medal: Bronze

Canada's 10th medal was claimed by Victoria's Caileigh and Cloverdale, B.C.'s Hillary on July 29. They had a very strong race, in which they were in first for a while before being overtaken by New Zealand's Grace Prendergast and Gerri Gowler, who took gold. Very sweet photos showed the Canadians and New Zealanders embracing after finishing and congratulating each other.

15/23

Penny Oleksiak

Sport: Swimming

Event: 200-metre freestyle

Medal: Bronze

The 21-year-old took third in this race on July 28 to become Canada's most-decorated Summer Olympian. She's won six medals over two Olympics, tieing her with Clara Hughes and Cindy Klassen. She has three more events to finish in Tokyo, which means more medal glory could be on the way.

16/23

Maude Charron

Sport: Weightlifting

Event: Women's 64kg

Medal: Gold

The Rimouski, Que. native lifted a whopping 105 kilograms on July 27 to pick up 236 points from the judges and take gold! Canada has not won a weightlifting medal since 2012.

Congrats!

17/23

Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard

Sport: Judo

Event: Women's -63kg

Medal: Bronze

Catherine picked up Canada's second-ever judo medal by defeating Venezuela's Anriqueli Barrios with a waza-ari on July 27. That's a move that involves throwing your opponent.

Congrats!

18/23

Women's softball

Medal: Bronze

Canada's July 27 win over Mexico in the bronze medal game was historic, giving us our very first Olympic softball medal! It was a thrilling contest that ended in a 3-2 win for Canada, pitched by Sara Groenewegen, who survived Legionnaire's disease after contracting it three years ago and being given just three per cent chance of survival.

Congrats, ladies!

19/23

Kylie Masse

Sport: Swimming

Event: Women's 100-metre backstroke

Medal: Silver

Windsor, Ont.-born Kylie swam her way to her second Olympic medal on July 27, coming in second in a thrilling race. She won bronze in the same event at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Congrats!

20/23

Jessica Klimkait

Sport: Judo

Event: Women's -57kg

Medal: Bronze

Windsor, Ont.-born Jessica picked up her first ever Olympic medal on July 26 – and Canada's first ever judo Olympic medal, too! The 24-year-old battled through her match against Slovenia's Kaja KajzerJessica is also the current world champion in the -57kg women's judo event, having won gold this year in Budapest.

Congrats!

21/23

Maggie Mac Neil

Sport: Swimming
Event: Women's 100-metre butterfly
Medal: Gold
Canada's first gold – and Maggie's second Olympic medal – came on July 26, when the current women's 100-metre butterfly world champion finished first in a blistering race that saw her touch the wall in complete disbelief.
Despite her huge international success and as a member of the University of Michigan's swimming team, the 21-year-old was seen staring at the screen with her mouth wide open while still in the pool and covering her mouth in shock as she left the event.
"I heard my name called when I touched the wall, so I thought I had done something well," she told CBC Sports later in the day before being awarded her gold medal. Her funny remark was a reference to how difficult it is to hear anything underwater – swimmers also are often completely focussed on their own performance and don't necessarily have time to look around and see who might be ahead of them or if they're winning.
Congrats to Maggie!
Photos: © Getty Images

22/23

Jennifer Abel and Melissa Citrini-Beaulieu

Sport: Diving
Event: Women's 3-metre springboard synchronized
Medal: Silver
Jennifer missed the podium at Rio de Janeiro in 2016 after winning bronze with Émilie Heymans in the same event in 2012. The silver she and Melissa captured on July 25 is her second Olympic medal to date and Melissa's first.
Jennifer has a long history of international success, having won silver in various 3-metre diving events at the world championships from 2011 to 2019 and taking gold in the 3-metre synchronized event in 2019.
Jennifer and Melissa were pictured hugging and covering their mouths in disbelief when they emerged from the water and realized they'd won silver.
Congrats!
Photos: © Getty Images

23/23

Penny Oleksiak, Rebecca Smith, Maggie Mac Neil and Kayla Sanchez

Sport: Swimming
Event: Women's 4x100-metre freestyle relay
Medal: Silver
Canada's first medal at Tokyo came early, with Penny Oleksiak, Rebecca Smith, Maggie Mac Neil and Kayla Sanchez finishing second, which is amazing in itself, but also an improvement on their bronze medal finish at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
The squad features some of the greatest female swimmers in the world right now, including Penny – who was on the 4x100-metre freestyle relay team that struck bronze in Rio – and Maggie, who helped power Canada to bronze at the 2019 world championships in the same event.
This was 21-year-old Penny's fifth Olympic medal and the first for Rebecca, Maggie and Kayla, who were thrilled to touch the wall second and put Canada on the podium first in Tokyo.
Photos: © Getty Images

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