A look at five things to know from Thursday at the Tokyo Olympics

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This article was published 05/08/2021 (1524 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TOKYO – From Damian Warner completing the seemingly inevitable – and etching his name in Olympic history in the process – to the ultimate comeback for a canoe sprinter once barred from the sport, here are five things to know from Thursday at the Tokyo Olympics.

DAMIAN DOMINATES DECATHLON

From the very beginning of the two-day event – when Damian Warner tied his decathlon world record in the 100 metres – it appeared clear the Canadian was locked in for gold. When the 31-year-old from London, Ont., crossed the finish line in the 1,500 metres on Thursday, the seemingly inevitable was complete. Warner led from start to finish and climbed to the top of the podium for his second Olympic medal, an improvement on the decathlon bronze from Rio 2016. “It’s really special,” said Warner. “It’s one of those things where when you’re younger, you set little dreams and goals. I just remember watching guys like Donovan Bailey and Catriona Le May Doan when I was a kid, celebrating and winning gold medals, and sitting on the couch watching it with my mom, telling her, ‘I want to do that one day.’ It’s really cool coming out here and finally live that dream.” Over the course of the gruelling competition, Warner set Olympic decathlon records in the long jump and 110-metre hurdles. He also set a personal best in the pole vault.

FINAL UNDER THE STARS

Following requests from both finalists – and a lengthy decision-making process – Friday’s women’s soccer gold-medal game was finally rescheduled. Instead of playing in the 11 a.m. heat (local time in Tokyo), Canada will instead face Sweden under the stars Friday night at 9 p.m. (8 a.m. eastern time) at International Stadium Yokohama. The match was originally scheduled to take place at Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium. Temperatures are expecting to hover in the mid-30s Friday afternoon and both teams felt their players would be at risk under the sweltering August heat. “I think the change makes absolute sense for the spectacle of what the game can be,” said Canadian head coach Bev Priestman.

JUST ANOTHER LVL

The 13 world championships were sweet, but an Olympic medal took things to another level for sprint canoer Laurence Vincent-Lapointe. The 29-year-old nicknamed “LVL” raced to a precious podium spot in the women’s C-1 200-metre race, winning silver behind American Nevin Harrison. It was the culmination of years of effort that included overturning a suspension from the sport following an “adverse analytical finding” from an out-of-competition drug test in July 2019. “I’m so relieved. It hit me on the podium that I’ve done it,” said Vincent-Lapointe, of Trois-Rivières, Que. “I might not have won a gold, but this silver tastes amazing.” Vincent-Lapointe is still eyeing a gold medal. She will race the canoe double 500 with teammate Katie Vincent of Mississauga, Ont.

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SURPRISING CYCLING SUCCESS

It came as a surprise to Lauriane Genest herself. The 23-year-old won Canada’s first track cycling medal in Tokyo, a bronze in the women’s keirin at Izu Velodrome. Genest crossed the line .148 seconds behind winner Shanne Braspennincx of the Netherlands and .061 back of silver medallist Ellesse Andrews of New Zealand. She became the first Canadian woman to win an individual track cycling medal since 2004. “I’m starting to feel the high emotions and realize it, but in the moment I crossed the finish line I didn’t really know what I had done,” said Genest. Kelsey Mitchell of Sherwood Park, Alta., also raced in Thursday’s final. She finished fifth.

DEVASTATED DIVER

Meaghan Benfeito doesn’t want her career to end this way. The 32-year-old diver’s fourth Olympics finished in heartbreaking fashion after she failed to qualify for the women’s 10-metre platform diving final. Benfeito, from Laval, Que., finished 13th in the semifinal, five points below her next competitor. Only the top 12 divers qualified for the final. It was a worst-case scenario for Benfeito, who believes Tokyo will be her final Olympics. “Yes I’m sad, I don’t want to finish my career this way. It hurts. But I fought to the end, I’m proud of myself,” she said. The Canadian diver potentially ends her Olympic career with three bronze medals. She has not retired from the sport just yet though. Benfeito will decide if she wants to compete in a FINA Grand Prix later this year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2021.