Mission’s Olympic veterans Brent Hayden and Kim Gaucher are aiming for a place in history at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Hayden, 37, narrowly missed his second bronze medal on July 25, but helped set a new national record.
The Canadian men’s 4×100 metre freestyle swim team were edged out by the Australian team by 0.3 seconds, finishing fourth, and setting Canada’s best-ever time with a 3:10.82.
Hayden won his first bronze medal in 2012, retired, started a comeback in 2019 and qualified for his fourth Olympic games in 2020.
He still has another chance at an Olympic medal competing in the Men’s 50 Metre Freestyle event on Friday, July 30, at 3:16 a.m. The top 16 swimmers will advance to the semi-finals the following day.
Kim Graucher, also 37, is competing at her third Olympic games, having played for two decades on Canada’s national basketball team.
Gaucher was missed in Canada’s first preliminary game against Serbia, with the team losing a close contest by four points, 72-68
The team had their next preliminary match against Korea on Wednesday at 6 p.m., (results were not available at press time) followed by Spain on Saturday at the same time.
The quarter finals are held on Aug. 3 and 4 for qualifying teams, the semi-finals are held on Aug. 6, and the bronze and gold medal games on Aug. 7
Gaucher, who wears No. 8, has already been successful in a battle off the court. She successfully made the International Olympic Committee change their COVID-19 rules preventing breastfeeding moms from bringing their newborn children to the games.
She made a plea on social media, saying the IOC was forcing her to choose between competing and nursing her three-month old daughter, Sophie.
As of Wednesday, July 28, Canada has won nine medals.
- Maude Charron won gold in the Women’s 64-kilogram weightlifting competition
- Maggie Mac Neil won gold in the Women’s 100-metre Butterfly
- Swimmer Kylie Masse won silver in the Women’s 100-metre Backstroke
- The Canadian Women’s 4×100 metre freestyle relay team won silver
- Divers Jennifer Abel and Mélissa Citrini-Beaulieu won silver in the Women’s Three Metre Synchronized Springboard
- Jessica Klimkait won bronze in Women’s 57-kilogram Judo
- Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard won bronze in Women’s 63-kilogram Judo
- The Canadian Women’s Softball Team won bronze.
- Swimmer Penny Oleksiak won bronze in the Women’s 200-metre Freestyle.
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