The Canadians came close to a medal in the 4x100m medley relay, finishing fourth. And incredibly, three-time gold medallist Summer McIntosh was the team’s weak link.
The Americans won gold, the Chinese won silver and the Australians won bronze.
Canada’s race started well, thanks to Kylie Masse and her performance on the backstroke. The Ontarian was second at the turn, and third in the relay. Sophie Angus was able to maintain that position in the breaststroke, thanks to an impressive push in the final metres.
Then came Maggie Mac Neil in the butterfly. The swimmer was breathtaking and took second place. Thanks to her efforts, Canada had a half-second lead over the Australians, who were thirde rank.
In the free skate, Summer McIntosh gradually lost Canada’s lead, finishing seven-tenths behind the Chinese. The United States dominated the race, with a lead of more than three seconds over second place.
The decision to field McIntosh in this race was controversial, as her compatriot Penny Oleksiak had been faster over this distance in recent months.
Fifth place
In the men’s race, the Canadians finished the same event in fifth place. The race was short on twists and turns for the Unifolié. In the first relay, the team was already in fifth place, and kept it until the end.
PHOTO CHRISTINNE MUSCHI, THE CANADIAN PRESS
From left to right: Ilya Kharun, Blake Tierney, Finlay Knox and Josh Liendo
The suspense was nevertheless complete among the leaders. It was finally China who won, after a victorious surge in the final meters. This was a historic first, because the Americans have won every Olympic edition of the 4 x 100 m medley relay since its creation. It was precisely they who obtained the silver medal. The French deserved the bronze.
The Canadian team consisted of Javier Acevedo, Finlay Knox, Blake Tierney and Ilya Kharun.
In the medley relay, four strokes are performed by different swimmers. Each athlete can only participate in one part of the relay. The relay always starts with the backstroke, continues with the breaststroke, followed by the butterfly and the freestyle.