South Hazelton’s Regan Yee and Prince Rupert’s Alycia Butterworth will be coming home empty-handed from the Tokyo Olympics.
In the second of three preliminary heats for the Women’s 3000m Steeplechase, the 26-year-old Yee placed seventh running the track in nine minutes, 41.14 seconds, 13 seconds shy of her Canadian record set at the end of June in the Olympic qualifier in Montreal.
Yee’s 9:27.54 record from Montreal was short-lived as former record holder Gen Lalonde set a blistering pace of 9:22.64 in the third heat. Lalonde shaved another 0.24 seconds off the Canadian record in the final, but 9:22.40 was only good for 11th in a field that saw Peruth Chemutai of Uganda take gold with 9:01.45, American Courtney Frerichs win silver (9:04.79) and Kenyan Hyvin Kiyeng secure bronze (9:05.39).
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Yee’s other teammate Alycia Butterworth from Prince Rupert also failed to qualify for the final heat clocking in at 9:34.25 for 10th place in her heat.
Canada currently sits 15th in the overall medal count with 15 total medals including an impressive six in the swimming pool.
Leading the way in swimming is Maggie Mac Neil who took gold in the 100m butterfly.
Mac Neil also helped the Canadian team to silver in the Women’s 4X100m freestyle relay and bronze in the 4X100m medley relay.
Also on those relay teams, Penny Oleksiak became the most decorated Canadian summer Olympian in history now with seven medals overall.
In track and field, Andre De Grasse added two medals to his growing Olympic total including gold in the Men’s 200m, the first Canadian man to do that since Percy Williams in 1928.
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On his way to gold, he also set a new Canadian record at 19.73 seconds in qualifying and knocked that down to 19.62 in the final.
With his bronze in the 100m De Grasse now has five total medals and is tied with Phil Edwards and Lesley Thompson-Willie as Canada’s second most decorated Olympian. He will have a chance to better that in the Men’s 4X100m relay.
Canada has also picked up gold in Women’s eight rowing (Susanne Grainger, Kasia Gruchalla-Wesierski, Kristen Kit (coxswain), Madison Mailey, Sydney Payne, Andrea Proske, Lisa Roman, Christine Roper, Avalon Wasteneys) and women’s 64kg weightlifting (Maude Charron).
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