After securing a silver and bronze through the first two days of the Paris Olympics, Canada added three medals, including its first two golds of these Games, to its total on day three.
The first podium-topping finish of the competition for Canada came in historic fashion, as Christa Deguchi secured the country’s first ever gold medal in judo on Monday.
She defeated world number three Huh Mimi of South Korea in the final of the women’s 57kg judo event after defeating France’s home favourite, Sarah Luonie Cysique, in the semis.
It was a nice bit of revenge for Deguchi, who had to settle for silver at the IJF World Championships earlier this year thanks to a loss to Mimi in the final.
“I’m quite proud of myself and I didn’t give up — I kept going to the end, and to the win,” Deguchi said after winning gold.
While Deguchi is a name that many Canadians had likely not heard before Monday, the other gold medal was won by someone who is quickly becoming one of Canada’s most recognizable athletes.
Summer McIntosh, who wowed three years ago in Tokyo making her Olympic debut at age 14, finally reached the top of an Olympic podium on Monday.
After winning silver in the 400m freestyle on day one of the Games, McIntosh cruised to an easy win in the 400m individual medley on day three.
The 17-year-old posted a time of 4:27.71, besting runner-up Katie Grimes by over five seconds with a margin of victory not seen in this event in 40 years.
The third medal earned by Canada on day three of Paris 2024 came courtesy of Rylan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray.
The duo won bronze in the men’s synchronized 10m platform event, the country’s first ever medal in that specific competition.
As Canada’s individual athletes are hitting the podium, various teams are making some serious noise in their competitions as well.
After being deducted six points due to the dronegate scandal, the Canadian women’s soccer team has won their first two games, including a dramatic last-minute victory over France on Sunday.
If the team can secure a victory over Colombia on Wednesday, they will somehow, against all odds, advance to the knockout portion of the tournament.
In the women’s rugby sevens, Canada is into the final against New Zealand after upsets over France and Australia in the quarters and semis.
And the men’s basketball team is off to an impressive start in that tournament, winning their first two games over Greece and Australia to put themselves in prime position to advance out of the group of death.
Canada’s five total medals are good for ninth in the overall medal count, while the two golds have the country tied for eighth in that regard.
