Day 11 highlights
Athletics
Derek Drouin leaped to a bronze medal Tuesday night at Olympic Stadium, lifting Canada’s medal count to 11 on Day 11 of the Games. Teammate Mike Mason of Nanoose Bay, BC cleared 2.25 to finish eighth in the event.
In the women’s 100m final Phylicia George equaled her personal best of 12.65 seconds for sixth place in the final, while teammate Jessica Zelinka crossed the line in 12.69 for seventh.
In the women’s javelin event Tuesday Elizabeth Gleadle of Vancouver tossed to a 60.26 to qualify for the final round Thursday at 4 p.m.
In the men’s 200m Aaron Brown of Toronto evened his personal best time of 20.55 in his heat to advance to the semifinal, slated for Wednesday at 3:18 p.m. “It is crazy out there. The crowd is so loud and I’m standing next to the best guys in the world. I can run with these guys.”
Teammate Jared Connaughton of Charlottetown, P.E.I., ran a 20.72 to earn his spot in the men’s 200m blocks Wednesday at 3:10 p.m. “I’m prepared and ready to make the final,” he said.
Geoff Harris of Halifax, NS ran a 1:46.14 for a personal best time in the men’s 800m semifinal Tuesday night and didn’t advance to the final.
Track Cycling
Medal hopeful Tara Whitten needed the race of her life in the final battle of the six-race women’s Omnium event, but came up just short in fourth spot. The team pursuit bronze medallist of Edmonton Alberta said though she was comfortable in the race and felt in the best shape of her life, she simply wasn’t the fastest on the day. “I gave it everything I had today and it just wasn’t enough,” said Whitten. “I’ve been working on improving my positioning. But for me, I’m better when the race is strung out a bit. When it comes down to a sprint like that, I’m not quite as good as finding the right wheel. I did what I could and that’s all I can do.”
Synchronized Swimming
Marie-Pier Boudreau-Gagnon (Riviere-du-Loup, QC) and Elise Marcotte (Ancienne-Lorette, QC) rounded out a tight technical routine and the second of two strong free routines Tuesday to earn a final score of 189.120 in synchronized swimming duet. The pair was just off the podium in fourth spot. “For sure we are not happy about the result. But we just did two solid performances in a row and this will give confidence to everyone for the team event,” said Boudreau-Gagnon. Her partner Marcotte agreed that now is the time to re-adjust and look ahead to the team event, which begins Thursday.
Diving
In his fourth Olympic appearance Alex Despatie of Laval, QC ended his competition Tuesday in the men’s 3m individual springboard in 11th spot. The Laval, QC native earned 413.35 points while teammate Francois Imbeau-Dulac of Saint-Lazare, QC finished in 13th spot Tuesday afternoon and did not advance.
Canoe-Kayak
At Eton Dorney Tuesday, Kayaker Emilie Fournel (Dorval, QC) moved into Thursday’s B final after a sixth place semifinal in the women’s K-1 500m event. “I came out really aggressively,” said Fournel. “I came here knowing I could make it. But it did not work today.”
Boxing
Darmouth NS’s Custio Clayton bowed out of the 69kg quarter-final round Tuesday night at ExCel. Clayton lost by decision in a 14-14 draw with Great Britain’s Freddie Evans. “He had the crowd behind him, but after the crowd got out of the way in the second and third I thought I had him,” said Evans. “I thought I pulled out the victory, but I didn’t get it. I did Canada proud and I did Nova Scotia proud.”
Equestrian – Dressage
International veteran rider Ashley Holzer of Toronto took 24th place in dressage Tuesday with a percentage of 71.317. She did not advance to the Grand Prix Freestyle, which is reserved for the top-18 riders.
Basketball
On the basketball court Tuesday, the Canadian women’s squad lost to powerhouse U.S. by a score of 91-48. The game marked the first time in the program’s history a women’s team made an Olympic quarter-final. Veteran Kim Smith said despite the outcome, the game marks a big step forward for the sport in Canada. “I’m so proud of us,” said Smith. “It was one more game we got to play today and one more game for Canadians to be excited about basketball.” Head coach Allison McNeil agreed. “It has been a remarkable journey. I’m so proud of this team.”
Sailing
Zac Plavsic (Vancouver, BC) earned himself a top-ten finish with eighth spot at Weymouth and Portland Tuesday in the men’s RS:X windsurfing class in the final race after fixing his boom on the fly. “I gave my everything and didn’t want to leave anything out on the water. I pumped my guts out until I crossed that line,” he said. Teammate Nikola Girke of West Vancouver also cracked the top-10 with a 10th place finish on the women’s side in the same class. “It was a good race me despite the overall result,” she said. “I was in the mix the whole time.”
