Canada Dominates in Women’s Single Canoe and Men’s Breakdance, Secures Silver in Men’s 800M
Team Canada athletes have achieved a record number of medals for the country, including recent victories in women’s single canoe, men’s breakdancing, and the men’s 800m.
Katie Vincent from Ontario secured a gold medal in the women’s single 200-metre canoe sprint final at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. She became the first Canadian woman to win an Olympic gold medal in canoe-kayak sprint.
Vincent expressed her joy when she saw “Canada” on the digital leaderboard and noticed the multitude of Canadian flags waving in the crowd. She described it as a truly special and exciting moment.
Her time of 44.12 seconds set a new world and Olympic record. Nevin Harrison from the United States came in second with a time of 44.13 seconds, followed by Yarisleidis Cirilo Duboys from Cuba who took bronze with a time of 44.36 seconds.
This marked Vincent’s second medal at the current competitions, as she had previously won bronze in the women’s doubles 500 meters with her athletic partner Sloan MacKenzie on Aug. 9.
Canada has now secured its eighth gold at the Paris Olympics, setting a record for a non-boycotted Summer Games. Vincent’s accomplishment also marks the 25th medal that the county has earned during the 2024 games—another record.
Vincent had previously won a bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Games in the women’s doubles 500 metres.
Canada Gets Gold in Breaking Event
Philip Kim, known as Phil Wizard, clinched gold in the men’s breakdancing event, making his Olympic debut at 27 years old from Vancouver.
In the final with France’s Dany Dann, Kim emerged victorious in all three rounds. Despite Dann receiving four votes in the first round, Kim secured five. In the final two rounds, Kim won the votes of all nine judges.
Kim competed against Japan’s Shigekix in the semifinals, garnering a total of 17 votes throughout the three rounds, compared to Shigekix’s 10.
He had previously been crowned world champion at the 2022 WDSF Breaking World Championships and won a silver medal at the 2023 World Championships. Kim also holds a gold medal from Santiago 2023.
Canada Earns Silver in Men’s 800M
Marco Arop from Canada secured a silver medal in the men’s 800-metre competition on Aug. 10, marking Canada’s first medal in the event since 1964.
This marks Arop’s second Olympic appearance, having placed 14th in the Tokyo Games of 2020. He also clinched gold at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
The Canadian Press contributed to this article.