Oleksiak won four medals at the games in Rio including one gold, one silver, and two bronze.
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Heading into Sunday, Canada had 22 medals, four more than the 18 won in London four years ago. The 16-year-old swimmer said she is “super-honoured” to bear the Maple Leaf flag on behalf of fellow team members and all Canadians.
On July 11, Athletics Canada revealed its goal was to win “two or three medals” in Rio from its 65 athletes, the “best” collection of talent to ever represent the country at a Summer Olympics, according to head coach Peter Eriksson.
But Canada’s performance here in Rio was more than that, it was the way the athletes handled themselves in victory and defeat, how they met the challenges that always arise, how they didn’t succumb to the predictions of organizational horror. They won a relay bronze on opening day in Rio to kick off Canada’s medal haul.
Other high points of the Games included Penny Oleksiak’s 200-metre freestyle gold and De Grasse’s 100-metre showdown against Bolt, which attracted 4.3 and 5.3 million viewers, respectively. “Of course we’re proud to be women, but we’re proud to be part of the whole team”.
“I got to meet a lot of athletes when I was backstage … holding the flag and getting to walk out and see everyone come up to you and take photos of you, saying that they were born in Canada or they’ve lived in Canada – it’s pretty great”. The federal government spent nearly $200 million in 2015 on its athletes and hosting worldwide events for them.
The team had arrived in Rio shouldering big expectations after a historic eight-medal performance at last summer’s world championships.
The future is bright for Canada’s track and field team, looking ahead to Tokyo 2020.
The COC pays bonus money to medallists of $20,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze.
Each athlete on the soccer and rugby teams receive $10,000 for their bronze medal, so the COC’s total payout for Rio will be $750,000. That bill comes to $137,500.
Long-distance runners Eric Gillis and Reid Coolsaet compete in the men’s marathon in Brazil.
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Also, Leandre Bouchard of Alma, Que., was 27th and Raphael Gagne of Quebec City did not finish in the Olympic mountain bike race.
