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

By: The Canadian Press Posted: 10:30 AM CDT Friday, Aug. 6, 2021 Last Modified: 10:33 AM CDT Friday, Aug. 6, 2021

TOKYO - From Canada (penalty) shooting to the top of the women's soccer world to Andre De Grasse etching his name in the Canadian Olympic record book, here are five things to know from Thursday at the Tokyo Olympics.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/08/2021 (1541 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TOKYO – From Canada (penalty) shooting to the top of the women’s soccer world to Andre De Grasse etching his name in the Canadian Olympic record book, here are five things to know from Thursday at the Tokyo Olympics.

SOCCER SUPREMACY

Canada’s women’s soccer team promised to improve on their back-to-back bronze medals heading into Tokyo. Now they’re on top of the soccer world. The Canadians came from behind – both in the match and in the shootout – to defeat Sweden 3-2 on penalties after the teams were tied 1-1 at the end of extra time. Caroline Seger had a chance to win it all for Sweden after Canada failed to convert three consecutive penalties, but she sent her shot high. Two shooters later, Julia Grosso made the back of the net ripple to send Canada to the top step of the podium. Stina Blackstenius scored for Sweden in the 34th minute before Jessie Fleming converted from the penalty spot in the 67th.

Christine Sinclair, left, celebrates with teammates as Canada celebrates after defeating Sweden in the penalty shoot-out in the women's soccer final during the summer Tokyo Olympics in Yokohama, Japan on Friday, August 6, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

A RELAY GOOD RACE

It looked like Canada was headed for a fifth-place finish when the final runner in the men’s 4×100 relay was handed the baton. But that final runner was Andre De Grasse. The 26-year-old from Markham, Ont., sprinted ahead of the anchor runners from China and Jamaica in the final leg to earn bronze for Canada. It was De Grasse’s sixth Olympic medal overall. He became the most decorated male Olympian in Canadian history, adding to the gold (men’s 200) and bronze (men’s 100) he had already won in Tokyo. It was also Canada’s second straight Olympic bronze in the event. Italy won gold ahead of Britain.

MOH MEDALS

It took a gutsy effort and a burst of energy on the final turn of the last lap to send Moh Ahmed into euphoria. The Canadian won a silver medal in the men’s 5,000 metres, and he even challenged race winner and world record-holder Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda for gold. The runner from St. Catharines, Ont., was fifth heading into the final turn of the race when he found the energy needed to claim a podium finish, crossing the line in 12 minutes 58.61 seconds. He passed three runners heading into the race’s final stretch – Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, Nicholas Kipkorir Kimeli of Kenya and American Paul Chelimo – for his first Olympic medal in his third Games. Ahmed just couldn’t catch Cheptegei in the end. It was Canada’s first Olympic medal in the men’s 5,000.

SWAN SONG

Winner of bronze in the men’s 50-kilometre race walk, Evan Dunfee became likely the only Canadian who will ever win an Olympic medal in the event. But that’s not a point of pride for the 30-year-old from Richmond, B.C. The International Olympic Committee is dropping the 50k in the name of gender balance. “It really does just break my heart,” said Dunfee. “The solution would have been to put a women’s 50k in. The women deserve it.” The Canadian was fifth on the final lap before catching up to two athletes ahead of him. He said the thoughts of friends and family back home, as well as the memory of his late grandmother, propelled him to the podium.

STILL IN CONTENTION

Good results in non-medal rounds Friday put several Canadians closer to securing podium spots on the final two days of the Olympic Games. On Tokyo’s Sea Forest Waterway, canoe sprinters Laurence Vincent-Lapointe and Katie Vincent qualified for the semifinal of the C-2 500 metres. In the pool, 18-year-old Nathan Zsombor-Murray of Pointe-Claire, Que., put together an impressive six-dive performance to advance to the semifinal of the men’s 10-metre platform. At the velodrome, track cyclists Kelsey Mitchell and Lauriane Genest survived qualifying and each won two heats to move onto the the round of 16 in the women’s sprint.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2021.