Canada’s Maggie Mac Neil added another victory to her illustrious swimming resume.
The Olympic and world champion won the women’s 100-metre butterfly on Saturday at the Commonwealth Games, while Nicolas-Guy Turbide raced to gold in the Para 50 freestyle.
Mac Neil, a 22-year-old from London, Ont., also won gold in the 100 fly at last summer’s Tokyo Olympics. Saturday’s gold was her second medal in Birmingham. She was part of the mixed freestyle relay that captured bronze the previous day.
Kelsey Mitchell raced to silver in the women’s track cycling sprint race, her second medal of the Games.
A day earlier, the Olympic champion raced to silver in the sprint team event with Sarah Orban and Lauriane Genest.
“Consistently silver,” Mitchell said. “Every competition’s tough, you go out there and give your best. Coming here today, obviously you go in to try and win that gold and win every race that you do. Came up a little bit short, but gave it my all. I’m happy to walk away with a silver.”
New Zealand’s Ellesse Andrews won the gold.
Mitchell, a 28-year-old from Sherwood Park, Alta., captured gold in the sprint at last summer’s Tokyo Olympics.
Hannah Kaminski of Calgary won bronze in the women’s 49-kilogram weightlifting class.
“I came into this competition knowing that if I just did what I have been doing in training that I was in contention for a medal, so I haven’t quite wrapped my brain around the fact that I did that,” Kaminski said. “And it’s just really lit a fire under my butt to get back to training and keep doing what I’ve been doing, because I know that I’m on the right track. This was just like a kick in the pants from the universe to be like, ‘Yep, you’re doing what you need to do.’”
Their medals Saturday boosted Canada’s total to eight.
The Canadian team won 82 at the Games four years ago in Australia.
Wheelchair racer Josh Cassidy of Port Elgin, Ont., one of Canada’s flag-bearers in Thursday’s opening ceremonies, was fourth in the marathon. He finished in one hour, 47 minutes and 47 seconds.
“The course was tough, technical,” Cassidy said. “I love the technical aspects, but the hills and the elevation was a grind for sure.”
The Games run through August 8th.