16 of ’16: Team Canada amazes at Rio 2016
With the year coming to a close, Olympic.ca has been looking back at 16 of the most memorable Team Canada stories of 2016. With all of the “16 of ‘16” stories now revealed, you can find the entire series here.
It was a remarkable couple of weeks for Team Canada this past August in Rio.
From start to finish, there was one success story after another.
Read: Who won Team Canada’s 22 Olympic medals in Rio?
It began in the pool, where Canada won six medals, the country’s best swimming total since Los Angeles 1984. Leading the charge was 16-year-old Penny Oleksiak becoming the first Canadian athlete to win four medals at a single summer Games and, along with teammate Taylor Ruck, the first Olympic medallists born in the 2000s.
Canada’s Penny Oleksiak with her gold medal after finishing first in the women’s 100-meter freestyle during the swimming competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (COC photo/JasonRansom)
Canada’s Katerine Savard, Taylor Ruck, Brittany Maclean and Penny Oleksiak, from left, hold up their bronze medals during the women’s 4 x 200-meter freestyle relay medals ceremony during the swimming competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. ( Photo/JasonRansom)
Sandrine Mainville, Chantal Van Landeghem, Taylor Ruck, and Penny Oleksiak celebrate winning bronze in the Women’s swimming 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay Final qualifying at the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday August 6, 2016. COC Photo/Mark Blinch
Penny Oleksiak poses with her silver medal after finishing second in the 100m butterfly
Canada’s Kylie Masse being awarded her bronze medal after her 100m backstroke race on August 8, 2016 (photo/Jason Ransom)
Canada’s Hilary Caldwell reacting to winning the bronze medal in the women’s 200-meter backstroke final during the swimming competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo/Mark Blinch)
Read: A closer look at Canada’s swimming success at Rio 2016
That prowess that part of a Canadian record streak, as athletes wearing the maple leaf won medals on the first nine days of the Games.
Included in that was the trampoline gold won by Opening Ceremony flag bearer Rosie MacLennan who became the first Canadian athlete to successfully defend an Olympic title at the summer Games. The Canadian women won bronze in the first ever Olympic rugby sevens tournament. There were also the second straight bronze medals in 10m synchro diving by Meaghan Benfeito and Roseline Filion and in track cycling’s women’s team pursuit, plus Canada’s only rowing medal of the Games, courtesy of Lindsay Jennerich and Patricia Obee. Benfeito later added an individual 10m bronze.
Canada’s Rosie MacLennan, from King City, Ont., holds up her gold medal after winning the trampoline gymnastics competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics Friday, August 12, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
Canada’s players celebrates after winning the women’s rugby sevens bronze medal match against Great Britain at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Aug. 8, 2016. (Photo/Stephen Hosier)Canada’s players celebrates after winning the women’s rugby sevens bronze medal match against Great Britain at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Monday, Aug. 8, 2016. (Photo/Mark Blinch)
Benfeito and Filion pose with their medals after winning a bronze in the 10m platform synchro dive. (photo/Jason Ransom)
Canada’s women’s team pursuit team with the Canadian flag after winning the bronze medal at the velodrome at the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday August 13, 2016. (photo/ Mark Blinch)
Canadian rowers Lindsay Jennerich and Patricia Obee, right, show off their silver medals in the women’s lightweight double sculls at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 12, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
As week one turned into week two and swimming gave way to athletics, the podium performances kept coming.
Six track and field medals were the most Canada had won since Los Angeles 1932. Derek Drouin had a perfectly clean sheet on the way to high jump gold, just the sixth person to do so in Olympic history. Brianne Theisen-Eaton and Damian Warner made Canada the only country to win medals in both combined events. Andre De Grasse became the first Canadian sprinter to ever triple medal in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay, anchoring the latter to a national record run.
Derek Drouin celebrates the jump that won him gold at the Rio 2016 high jump competition. (COC photo/Jason Ransom)
Brianne Theisen-Eaton after winning bronze in the Olympic heptathlon in Rio de Janeiro on August 13, 2016.
Canada’s Damian Warner celebrates after winning the bronze medal in the decathlon, during the athletics competitions of the 2016 Summer Olympics at the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Canada’s Andre De Grasse celebrates bronze in the men’s 100-metre final during the athletics competition at the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday, August 14, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
Andre De Grasse bites his 200m silver medal at Rio 2016. (August 19, 2016. COC Photo/Mark Blinch)
(L-R) Andre De Grasse, Brendon Rodney, Aaron Brown and Akeem Haynes after breaking the 20-year-old Canadian record in the 4x100m relay.
Erica Wiebe thrilled on the mat, becoming Canada’s third ever Olympic champion wrestler. In the same year that Christine Sinclair became the second-leading scorer all-time in women’s international soccer, the Canadian women won their second straight bronze, the first time Canada had won back-to-back medals in a summer team sport since London 1908.
Eric Lamaze got an incredible effort from Fine Lady 5, delivering clean round after clean round en route to bronze to become Canada’s most decorated Olympic equestrian. Catharine Pendrel completed the medal count, coming back from an early crash to win mountain bike bronze.
Canada’s Christine Sinclair, 12, is congratulated after scoring her side’s 2nd goal during the bronze medal match of the women’s Olympic football tournament between Brazil and Canada at the Arena Corinthians stadium in Sao Paulo, Friday Aug. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)
Erica Wiebe carries coach Paul Ragusa after after winning the gold medal during the women’s 75kg freestyle wrestling competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016. photo/ David Jackson
Canada’s Eric Lamaze aboard his horse Fine Lady 5 competes during Equestrian Individual Jumping Final Round A at the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday August 19, 2016. COC Photo/Mark Blinch
Canada’s Catharine Pendrel poses with the Canadian flag as she celebrates winning the bronze medal in the women’s mountain bike final at the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Canada team poses for photos after winning the bronze medal in the women’s Olympic football tournament between Brazil and Canada at the Arena Corinthians stadium in Sao Paulo, Friday Aug. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Nelson Antoine)
Read: By the Numbers: Team Canada success at Rio 2016
All told, Canada won 22 medals, matching its best ever total at a non-boycotted summer Games but winning one more gold medal than at Atlanta 1996.
Truly a Games for the record books.
