Day 3: What Team Canada did at Paris 2024

Day 3 is done and dusted at Paris 2024. Here’s how Team Canada did!

Paris 2024 Competition Schedule

Swimming

Summer McIntosh provided the day’s big headline when she won gold in the women’s 400m individual medley, adding the title of Olympic champion to the titles of two-time world champion and world record holder she already owned in the event. 

READ: Summer McIntosh wins 400m IM gold at Paris 2024 

Just over an hour later, Mary-Sophie Harvey finished fourth in the final of the women’s 200m freestyle. Swimming in lane 8, Harvey missed the podium by three-quarters of second in her first individual Olympic final. 

READ: McIntosh wins second medal of Paris 2024; two Canadians to swim in women’s 100m backstroke final

Two Canadians will swim in Tuesday’s final of the women’s 100m backstroke. Kylie Masse and Ingrid Wilm ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, in the semifinals. Masse has been on the podium in this event at the last two Olympic Games while Wilm won bronze at this year’s world championships. 

Ella Jansen had joined McIntosh in the morning heats of the 400m IM, finishing 11th in her Olympic debut. 

Judo

World number one judoka Christa Deguchi did exactly what she came to Paris to do: win Olympic gold in the women’s 57kg event. It was Canada’s first gold medal of Paris 2024. She took down world number three Huh Mimi of South Korea in the final to become Canada’s first ever Olympic champion in judo.

READ: Judoka Christa Deguchi wins Canada’s first gold medal at Paris 2024

Arthur Margelidon came within one win of getting a shot at a bronze medal in the men’s 73kg event. After losing in the quarterfinals, he was placed into the repechage but lost by ippon to Italy’s Manuel Lombardo. 

Diving

Rylan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray made history for Canada, winning the country’s first ever Olympic medal in the men’s synchronized 10m platform event, diving to bronze. 

Wiens and Zsombor-Murray scored 422.13 for their six dives, which put them on the third step of the podium behind the gold medallists from China and silver medallists from Great Britain.

READ: Wiens & Zsombor-Murray dive to bronze in men’s 10m synchro at Paris 2024

Rugby Sevens

Canada will have the opportunity to play for a medal in women’s rugby after advancing to the semifinals with an 19-14 upset win of the host team France in the quarterfinals. In a tight tie game, Chloe Daniels scored the game-winning try with under a minute remaining, rewarding Canada for their constant pressure and silencing a crowd of close to 70,000. Canada had gotten into the quarterfinals following their 26-17 victory over China in their final preliminary round game earlier in the day.

Paris 2024 Olympic Games Information Hub

Skateboarding

Team Canada had three skateboarders in action on Day 3 at Paris 2024. Cordano Russell advanced to the final of the men’s street event, finishing seventh with a total score of 211.80. That is Canada’s best Olympic result in skateboarding since the sport debuted at Tokyo 2020.  

Teammates Matt Berger and Ryan Decenzo did not advance through to the final, finishing 11th and 18th, respectively in the prelims.

Artistic Gymnastics 

In Canada’s first ever appearance in the men’s Olympic team final, René Cournoyer, Félix Dolci, William Émard, Sam Zakutney, and Zachary Clay finished eighth. In the final, each team put three athletes up on each apparatus with all three scores counting towards the team total. The Canadians started very strongly on vault and continued to put up solid routines that had them in sixth place until their final apparatus, pommel horse, which gave them some troubles. 

While the Games have come to an end for Clay, Émard, and Zakutney, there is one more event for Cournoyer and Dolci who compete in the men’s all-around final Wednesday.

Tennis

Leylah Annie Fernandez continues to cruise, defeating Cristina Bucsa of Spain in the second round of the women’s singles tournament with a score of 7-6, 6-3. No Canadian woman had ever previously advanced to the third round of the tournament, making Fernandez’s performance the best ever by a Canadian woman, with more matches to come.

Bianca Andreescu fell to Croatia’s Donna Vekic 3-6, 4-6.

Gabriela Dabrowski and Fernandez won their first-round women’s doubles match over Clara Burel and Varvara Gracheva of France with a 6-1, 7-5 victory. Their next opponent is not yet determined. 

Milos Raonic and Félix Auger-Aliassime were defeated in the first round of men’s doubles by the American team of Tommy Paul and Taylor Fritz, 7-6, 6-4.

Boxing

Wyatt Sanford emerged victorious from his Round of 16 matchup with Radoslav Simeonov Rosenov of Bulgaria in the men’s 63.5kg event, winning all five judges in a close bout. He will move on to the quarterfinals. He will face Ruslan Abdullaev of Uzbekistan on August 1.

Rowing

Team Canada’s women’s eight finished third in their heat behind Great Britain and Australia. They will proceed to a repechage heat, as only the first boat of each heat proceeds directly to the A Final. Canada also rowed in a repechage en route to their gold medal at Tokyo 2020.

Lightweight double sculls duo Jill Moffatt and Jenny Casson competed in repechage heat one, finishing second behind Ireland. They now proceed to the semifinals.

Basketball

Canada’s women’s basketball team lost their opening game of the tournament to France, 75-54.

Playing in front of an energetic crowd at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, France took complete control in the second quarter, stifling Canada on defence, and converting on great looks on offence. They outscored Canada 23-2 in the second quarter, and never looked back.

Kia Nurse and Shay Colley led the way for Canada with 11 points each. The squad shot just 32% as a team, and will need a boost on offence if they hope to advance past group play.

Canada now sits at the bottom of Group B in pool play. They will take on Australia on Thursday in a crucial game – both teams sit at 0-1 and are trying to avoid what would be a dire start to the Games.

Fencing 

There were four fencers in action today for Team Canada. On the men’s side, Daniel Gu, Blake Broszus and Maximilien Van Haaster were all eliminated in the individual foil round of 32.

Pamela Brind’Amour bowed out in the round of 32 in the individual women’s sabre after falling to sixth-seeded Theodora Gkountoura of Greece.

Beach Volleyball

Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson won their opening match of pool play 2-0 (21-16, 21-12) against Giuliana Poletti and Michelle Sharon Valiente Amarilla of Paraguay.

READ: Humana-Paredes and Wilkerson off to scorching start

Heather Bansley and Sophie Bukovec fell 2-0 (15-21, 19-21) to a tough Chinese team of Chen Xue and Xinyi Xia.

Badminton

Four athletes were in action today for Team Canada. Brian Yang kicked off his men’s singles group stage with a 2-0 victory (21-18, 21-10). Michelle Li followed that on the women’s side with a 2-0 victory of her own, winning 21-16, 25-23. 

Adam Dong and Nyl Yakura lost their third and final match of group play in men’s doubles 2-0 at the hands of Great Britain (14-21, 12-21).

Canoe Slalom 

Alex Baldoni was competing in the men’s C-1 semifinal and finished 15th with a time of 127.41.

Cycling – Mountain Bike

Gunnar Holmgren finished 30th in the men’s cross-country race, one day after his sister, Isabella Holmgren, finished 17th in the women’s event.

Equestrian

Team Canada finished 11th in team eventing, following the third and final test – jumping. Karl Slezak (Hot Bobo) was the top Canadian, finishing 32nd individually, followed by Michael Winter (El Mundo) in 35th and Jessica Phoenix (Freedom GS) in 38th.

Sailing 

With another three races under their belt, Georgia and Antonia Lewin-Lafrance sit in 13th in the 49erFX class.

Will Jones and Justin Barnes sit in 17th through six races in the 49er class.

Water Polo

Canada’s women’s water polo team fell in its first preliminary round matchup to World No. 4 Hungary.

The Hungarians jumped out to an early 4-1 lead, but Canada fought hard to close the gap as the game carried on. Canada cut the lead to 7-5 late in the third period, but the brakes came off for Canada’s defence in the fourth. They allowed four goals and ultimately fell by a score of 12-7.

Canada still has three preliminary round match-ups remaining, with the next coming on Wednesday against China. China is 0-2 so far in Olympic play.