Derek Drouin gets belated 2012 silver
PARIS Canadian high jumper Derek Drouin has been belatedly awarded an Olympic silver medal in a ceremony at the Paris Games. Drouin stood alongside American Erik Kynard, who was awarded the gold in the same event, as the two had their medals placed around their necks 12 years after the original performances. Kynard and Drouin were originally awarded silver and bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, but were both upgraded after Russia’s Ivan Ukhov was stripped of the gold for a doping violation. Drouin was one of 10 Olympians who were presented with so-called “reallocated” medals during today’s ceremony at the space known as Champion’s Park, at the Trocadero venue in Paris. The International Olympic Committee confirmed in 2021 that Drouin would retroactively receive the silver along with Mutaz Essa Barshim of Qatar and Robert Grabarz of Britain, who tied his score. Drouin, from Corunna, Ont., went on to win a gold medal in the high jump at the Rio Olympics in 2016, and is now retired from the sport.
Canadian women seventh in relay
The Canadian women’s 4x100-metre relay team finished seventh in Friday’s Olympic final at Stade de France. Sade McCreath, Jacqueline Madogo, Marie-Eloise Leclair and Audrey Leduc ran a time of 42.69 seconds. The United States snatched gold (41.78), while Britain took silver (41.85) and Germany grabbed bronze (41.97). The Canadians set a national record of 42.50 seconds a day earlier in qualifying. They finished fourth in Heat 2 to take one of two non-automatic qualifying spots.
Middle-distance runners move on
Marco Arop qualified for Saturday’s men’s 800 final. The 25-year-old from Edmonton ran a time of 1 minute 45.05 seconds to finish first in the second of three semi-final heats on Friday at Stade de France. Arop is the reigning world champion in the event and also won bronze at the 2022 world championships. He looks to win Canada’s first Olympic medal in the event since Bill Crothers earned silver at the 1964 Tokyo Games. Canada’s women’s 4x400 relay team also qualified for Saturday’s final. The team of Zoe Sherar, Aiyanna Stiverne, Lauren Gale and Kyra Constantine finished fourth in Heat 2 with a time of 3:25.77 to grab one of two non-automatic qualifying spots on Friday. Canada finished fourth at last year’s world championships in the event and took bronze at the world relays in May while qualifying for the Paris Games.
Wiens, Zsombor-Murray advance to men’s 10-metre diving semi-final
Canadian divers Rylan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray have advanced to the semi-final in the men’s 10-metre platform event at the Paris Olympics. Wiens, from Pike Lake, Sask., finished third in Friday’s preliminaries with a score of 485.25, while Zsombor-Murray, of Pointe-Claire, Que., secured 10th place with 407.20 points. China’s Cao Yuan had the highest preliminary score at 500.15, followed by Rikuto Tamai of Japan at 497.15. The top 18 divers advanced to Saturday’s semi-final. Wiens and Zsombor-Murray won bronze together in men’s synchronized 10-metre platform diving earlier at the Games. It was Canada’s first-ever medal in the event, and the first Canadian men’s diving medal since Alexandre Despatie’s silver in the 3m springboard event in Beijing 2008.
Canadian disappointments
Sarah Mitton failed to add to Canada’s throwing success when she finished last in the 12-athlete final of the women’s shot put. Mitton, from Brooklyn, N.S., won silver in the event at the 2023 world championships and was considered one of Canada’s strongest medal contenders entering the Paris Games. And Hannah Taylor’s bid for an Olympic wrestling bronze medal ended abruptly Friday in Paris. The 26-year-old from Summerside, Alta., was pinned just 24 seconds into the women’s 57-kilogram match by Helen Maroulis of the United States. Maroulis, who was a bronze medalist in the 57-kg class in Tokyo, turned a fireman’s carry into a pin to win 4-0 on Friday.