The majority of action during the Tokyo Olympics happens as most Canadians are fast asleep. While you were cozy in your bed, however, members of Team Canada were making their push for the podium.
Here’s what you missed from Day 5 of the Summer Games:
Women’s 200m Freestyle Swimming: Penny Oleksiak makes Canadian Summer Games history
It was a night to remember for Canadians that tuned in to see Oleksiak compete in the women’s 200-metre freestyle final on Day 5 of the Games, as the swimmer claimed bronze in the event. The medal marks her second of the 2020 Games, and her sixth-ever at the Olympics, making her the most decorated Canadian summer Olympian ever.
The swimmer from Toronto, Ontario, completed the women’s 200m freestyle with a time of 1:54.70. Placing second was Hong Kong’s Siobhan Bernadette Haughey, who earned a time of 1:53.92. Claiming gold was Australia’s Ariarne Titmus, whose time of 1:53.50 set a new Olympic record.
Pulling from both the Summer and Winter Games, Oleksiak is tied with Clara Hughes and Cindy Klassen for the most Olympic medals by a Canadian. With multiple events still remaining for Oleksiak, she could very well leave Tokyo as the all-time leader.
Canada’s swimming phenom Penny Oleksiak had herself an Olympic history-making moment Wednesday in Tokyo. (Getty)
Men’s Volleyball: Canada earns first win of tournament
The Canadian men earned a straight-sets victory over Iran to pick up their first win at the Olympics. The team now sits in fourth place in Group A and will play against Venezuela on Day 7 of the Games.
Men’s Lightweight Double Sculls Rowing: Canadians Patrick Keane and Maxwell Lattimer qualify for Final B
Competing in Semifinal 1, Keane and Lattimer finished fifth amongst six competitors and will now compete in Final B.
Women’s Singles Badminton: Michelle Li wins, claims top spot in Group F
Michelle Li picked up a straight-sets victory over Slovakia’s Martina Repiska and first place in Group F. She will now face Japan’s Nozomi Okuhara in the Round of 16. She has yet to lose a set in the tournament.
Women’s Lightweight Double Sculls Rowing: Jill Moffatt and Jennifer Casson qualify for Final B
Moffatt and Casson placed sixth amongst the six competitors in Semifinal 2, which means they’ll compete in Final B.
Men’s Pair Rowing: Kai Langerfeld and Conlin McCabe advance to Final A
Racing in Semifinal 2, Langerfeld and McCabe impressively earned third amongst the six competitors. The two will now have a chance at gold in Final A.
Thibeault defeated Kazhakstan’s Nadezhda Ryabets in the Last 16, advancing to the quarterfinal. She will now face Nouchka Fontijn of the Netherlands for a chance at qualifying for the semis.
Women’s Pair Rowing: Caileigh Filmer and Hillary Janssens earn lane in Final A
Filmer and Janssens finished nearly eight-tenths of a second behind Greece’s Maria Kyridou and Christina Bourmpou, and less than one-tenth of a second behind Great Britain’s Helen Glover and Polly Swann to finish third in Semifinal 1. The result was good enough to advance through to Final A where they will have a chance at a gold medal.
Women’s Eight Rowing: Canada will compete for gold
Canada nabbed second in the Repechage Round, finishing a little more than seven-tenths of a second behind Romania’s time of 5:52.99. The result earned the team a chance to compete for gold.
Women’s Water Polo: Canada wins in rout of South Africa
After dropping its first two contests to Australia and Spain, Canada defeated South Africa by a score of 21-1 to earn its first win of the Olympics. Canada now sits in third place in Group A.
Women’s 100m Freestyle Swimming: Penny Oleksiak and Kayla Sanchez advance
Racing in the preliminary heats for women’s 100m freestyle, Oleksiak and Sanchez both qualified for the semifinal. Oleksiak finished sixth with a time of 52.95 while Sanchez finished 10th with a time of 53.12.
Men’s 200m Backstroke Swimming: Markus Thormeyer claims lane in semifinal
Swimming to a time of 1:57.85, Thormeyer finished 16th in the preliminary heats, earning him the final spot for the semis.
Women’s 200m Breaststroke Swimming: Kelsey Wog will swim in semifinal
Wog finished 16th in the preliminary heats for the women’s 200m breaststroke with a time of 2:24.27. She will compete in the semis.
Women’s 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay Swimming: Canada earns spot in semifinal
The team of Katerine Savard, Rebecca Smith, Mary-Sophie Harvey, and Sydney Pickrem swam to a time of 7:51.52, which earned them the fourth spot in the preliminary heats and a lane in the semis.
Way Beyond Gold: German judoka Martyna Trajdos defends coach slapping her face
This is the weirdest pre-game ritual I’ve ever seen.
“Look’s like this was not hard enough,” Trajdos’ Instagram post reads. “I wish I could have made a different headline today. As I already said that’s the ritual which I chose pre competition! My coach is just doing what I want him to do to fire me up!”
Despite her wish to be slapped in the face, the International Judo Federation sent an “Official Warning and Ultimatum” to Pusa.
How many medals has Canada won in the Summer Olympics
Canada is now up to nine medals in Tokyo heading into Day 6.
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a professional tryout on Friday.
Dermott, a 27-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., produced two goals, five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
The six-foot, 202-pound blueliner has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto drafted him in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.
Over seven NHL seasons, Dermott has 16 goals and 46 assists in 329 games while averaging 16:03 in ice time.
Before the NHL, Dermott played two seasons with Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters. The team was coached by current Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said Friday.
Gaudreau, 31, and brother Matthew, 29, were killed in Carneys Point, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, the evening before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. At a virtual court hearing Friday, a judge ordered that he be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving.
“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County.
The defense described Higgins as a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash.
“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” said defense lawyer Matthew Portella. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”
Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said. A prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with his mother about a family matter.
He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said. He had been driving aggressively behind a sedan going just above the 50 mph speed limit, sometimes tailgating, the female driver told police.
When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and veered left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreas, the two other drivers told police.
“He indicated he didn’t even see them,” said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who said Higgins’ admitted “impatience” caused two deaths.
Higgins faces up to 20 years, a sentence that the judge said made him a flight risk.
Higgins has a master’s degree, works in finance for an addiction treatment company, and served in combat in Iraq, his lawyers said. However, his wife said he had been drinking regularly since working from home, Flynn said.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. Both women are expecting, and both gave moving eulogies at the double funeral on Monday.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins will bring in another quarterback while starter Tua Tagovailoa deals with his latest concussion, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday.
For now, Skylar Thompson will be considered the Dolphins’ starter while Tagovailoa is sidelined. Tagovailoa left Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to Buffalo in the third quarter with the third known concussion of his NFL career, all of them coming in the last 24 months.
“The team and the organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel said the team has not made any decision about whether to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve. Tagovailoa was expected at the team facility on Friday to start the process of being evaluated in earnest.
“We just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation,” McDaniel said, noting that the only opinions that will matter to the team will be the ones from Tagovailoa and the medical staff.
McDaniel added that he doesn’t see Tagovailoa playing in Miami’s next game at Seattle on Sept. 22.
“I have no idea and I’m not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that I don’t even see myself involved in the most important parts of,” McDaniel added. “All I’m telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad and be a dad this weekend. And then we’ll move from there. There won’t be any talk about where we’re going in that regard … none of that will happen without doctors’ expertise and the actual player.”
Tagovailoa was 17 for 25 passing for 145 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions — one of which was returned for a Buffalo score — when he got hurt. Thompson completed eight of 14 passes for 80 yards.
Thompson said he feels “fully equipped” to run the Dolphins’ offense.
“What’s going to lie ahead, who knows, but man, I’m confident, though,” Thompson said after Thursday’s game. “I feel like I’m ready for whatever’s to come. I’m going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job.”
