It’s no surprise that we’ve been exposed to so many more great athletes while watching the Olympic games. But this year, Team Canada introduced the world to a legend in the making: Penny Oleksiak. At only 16 years old, she made her Olympic debut in Rio – and owned it. Here’s a recap of her first ever Olympic games!
1. 4x100m Freestyle Relay
Medal: Bronze
Time: 3:32.89
The ladies on Team Canada’s relay team had a great relay performance on Day 1, winning Canada’s first 4×100 meter freestyle relay medal in 40 years! What a way to open up the games. Penny was the anchor of the team, maintaining their third place position.
2. 100m Butterfly
Medal: Silver
Time: 56.46
Penny had a phenomenal first solo event the day after winning the bronze, and made history on her own: she won Canada’s second ever medal in the butterfly, the team’s first medal in won in 1972!
3. 4x200m Freestyle Relay
Medal: Bronze
Time: 7:45.39
The team had yet another historic swim in this event, winning Canada’s first ever 4×200 meter freestyle relay medal!
4. 100m Freestyle
#CAN Penny Oleksiak ties for #Gold in 100m freestyle, setting an Olympic record in the process #Rio2016 https://t.co/AQc7xUNfRL
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) August 12, 2016
Medal: Gold
Time: 52.70
This race is one for the books, not only for one country, but two. At first, we weren’t sure if she’d get the gold – that is, until she made an incredible comeback in the last 50 meters of the race, surging forward and closing the distance, tying with Team USA’s Simone Manuel! The two ladies broke an Olympic record, and Simone Manuel became the first African-American female to win an Olympic gold medal in a swimming event for Team USA, while Penny Oleksiak won Team Canada’s first gold medal of the games, and became the first Canadian to win four medals at a single Olympic games as well as Canada’s youngest Olympic champion.
Will you be following Penny’s journey as a world-class athlete? Let us know by tweeting us at @CelebMix!