Canada sets a fast first-half medal pace in Paris
PARIS – Canada’s team in Paris was on pace for a record Olympic Games at halftime after a mortifying soccer scandal that began before the eco-flame was even lit in Jardin des Tuileries.
With 15 medals — four gold, four silver, seven bronze — and another medal already guaranteed in men’s boxing, Canada trended to better the 24 medals won three years ago in Tokyo, which was the most at a non-boycotted Summer Games.
Canadian athletes won at least one medal every day in the first eight, which a team had once before in Rio in 2016.
“I’ve been talking so much before the Games about the breadth and depth of this team, that we would be looking for more medals from more athletes across more sports and disciplines and I think that’s exactly what we’re seeing,” Canadian Olympic Committee chief executive officer David Shoemaker on Saturday.
Toronto teenager Summer McIntosh led the gold-medal charge with her third Saturday in the pool.
Her fourth medal in Paris matched teammate Penny Oleksiak’s record for the most by a Canadian at one Olympic Games.
“I’ve got three boys and they can’t stop talking about Summer McIntosh,” Shoemaker said.
Canadian women continued the trend of driving the medal bus as they have at previous Summer Games.
They won, or in the case of mixed doubles tennis had a hand in, 11 medals in the first half.
“Dronegate,” that resulted in soccer head coach Bev Priestman and two other team staff members sent home by the COC, and the women’s team docked six points by FIFA despite appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, was a black eye for a country purporting to espouse fair play.
Soccer team staff used drones to spy on New Zealand practices before Canada’s opener July 25.
The fallout enveloped celebrated
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