2024 Olympics Day 15 Recap: Canada sets new national record for medals at a single Summer Games with golds from Katie Vincent and Phil Kim, silver from Marco Arop
Make that 27 medals for Canada as the red and white sets a new Summer Games benchmark at the Paris Olympics
While the watching experience and timing for the 2024 Paris Olympics isn't quite as challenging for Canadian viewers as it was for Tokyo 2020 or Beijing 2022, a good chunk of action during these Games happens when plenty of Canadians are fast asleep.
Whether you were crushing some zzz's, busy at work, had family activities to partake in or just didn't have a chance to tune in, we have you covered throughout these Olympics from start to finish.
Team Canada currently sits at 27 medals, which marks Canada's highest-ever total at a non-boycotted Summer Olympics.
Here's what you may have missed on Day 15, including two historic gold medals and a silver-medal win that have set a new standard for Canadian excellence at the Summer Games.
Katie Vincent wins gold in women's C-1 200m by the skin of her teeth
One day after winning bronze with her doubles canoe partner, Sloan MacKenzie, Canada's Katie Vincent was back on the podium, this time with a gold medal after claiming first place in the women's single 200-metre canoe final on Saturday morning.
WHAT A FINISH for Katie Vincent 🥇 🇨🇦
Vincent with a HUGE race to win GOLD in the 200m canoe sprint at #Paris2024 #MedalMoments presented by @petrocanada pic.twitter.com/BGqWPSw5BM— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) August 10, 2024
The Mississauga, Ont., native's win came down to a photo finish as her canoe crossed the line at nearly the same time as that of American Nevin Harrison, who won silver. After a brief pause at the finish line, Vincent eventually would raise her hand as the gold medallist, finishing with a time of 44.12 seconds, just one one-hundredth of a second quicker than Harrison, who finished in 44:13 seconds.
0.01!!!!!!!!!
Madness!!!
OLYMPIC CHAMPION KATIE VINCENT 🥇 🇨🇦 🥇 🇨🇦 @kvincent96
So happy for you! @CBCOlympics pic.twitter.com/9Nbg3zfums— Brittany MacLean (@b_maclean) August 10, 2024
Vincent's gold-medal performance was a historic finish for a few different reasons, most notably the fact that her time has set a new world record in the women's C-1 200-metre competition. The win also represents Canada's first-ever Olympic gold medal in any women's kayak or canoe event.
Katie Vincent has won #TeamCanada's first ever Olympic gold medal in any women's canoe or kayak event ➕ She paddled to a world best time of 44.12 👏🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/KDqCIHAaDi
— Team Canada (@TeamCanada) August 10, 2024
With Vincent's gold on Saturday morning — along with the other 25 medals Canada has won in Paris — Team Canada has now eclipsed the 24 medals won in Tokyo three years ago, making the 2024 Olympics Canada's most successful non-boycotted Summer Games ever. Canada now has nine gold medals to go along with seven silver and 11 bronze medals.
As is tradition, Canadians from coast to coast were quick to share their excitement for Vincent on social media.
A new world record. Congratulations Katie Vincent! https://t.co/LYaJ3eN2um
— Fiona Kenny (@fionakennyantiq) August 10, 2024
Katie Vincent's gold medal in the 200m canoe sprint today moved Canada into uncharted territory. Well done! https://t.co/YxMiYAIlZC
— Michael Taube (@michaeltaube) August 10, 2024
Canoe events for women weren't added to the Olympic schedule until Tokyo 2020. Since then, Katie Vincent has three medals in two Olympic Games. Many world championship and world cup medals ahead of this brilliant Olympic gold.#Paris2024 https://t.co/8b9XiHHHEo
— Asif Hossain (@asifintoronto) August 10, 2024
🇨🇦🥇Katie Vincent. Clutch in the big moment. History made.
She just won C1 200m gold by 0.01 seconds, her third Olympic medal and first gold.
She's been in four Olympic races and taken three medals, with Canada's historic No. 25 today at Paris 2024. #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/7wCDA9zJfw— Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) August 10, 2024
Katie Vincent’s canoeing gold medal this morning gave Canada its 8th gold of the Olympics and 25th medal overall. Both records for a non-boycotted games. Amazing. Also amazing is that it happened a half hour ago and the CBC hasn’t said a word. #OlympicGames #Paris2024 #Canada
— Canada's Travel Guy (@JimByersTravel) August 10, 2024
Phil Kim makes history as the first-ever breaking Olympic gold medallist
Piggybacking on today's record-setting Canadian medal wins, breakdancer Phil Kim made history this afternoon, becoming the first-ever Olympic men's champion in breaking.
PHIL WIZARD MAKES GOLDEN MAGIC 🥇
Canada’s Phil Kim, aka Phil Wizard, is the first-ever Olympic champion in B-Boys breaking 🇨🇦#MedalMoments presented by @petrocanada pic.twitter.com/dbGDE1vbKc— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) August 10, 2024
Known in the breaking world as Phil "Wizard" Kim, the Vancouver native breezed through the event on Saturday afternoon, breaking his way to a gold-medal win over France's Danis Civil in the final by winning all three rounds of their battle.
Breaking made its Olympic debut this summer in Paris, but the event reportedly is not going to be included in the Los Angeles Summer Games in 2028.
There may still be an active debate about the merits of breaking as an Olympic sport, but the discourse can't take the medal away from Kim, nor will it stop Canadians from celebrating his historic victory.
I wasn’t counting on watching as much breakdancing as I have but this is so fun and incredibly impressive.
Go Phil Wizard Kim!!!! 🇨🇦— Valerie Remark (@ValerieRemark) August 10, 2024
I’m not exactly sure how Breaking is judged in terms of scoring; but fair play to the judges because they got that gold medal match right! A GOLD for Canada and Phil “Wizard” Kim! (I have never felt more old typing a tweet)
— Richard (@teaathalftime) August 10, 2024
What a joy it is to get to watch this!!! The exuberance and playfulness but pure athleticism was so impressive. Way to bring home the gold, Phil Wizard Kim!!!!!
— Valerie Remark (@ValerieRemark) August 10, 2024
Phil Wizard Kim Gold Medal in break dance today for Canada WOW Nice
— Dennis Mick (@OHLNOJHLWHL) August 10, 2024
Phil Wizard Kim breaks for gold! 🇨🇦🥇🕺
— Andrea Wiseman (@andrea_wiseman) August 10, 2024
Marco Arop wins silver in a photo finish in men's 800-metre final
Marco Arop did his part in making the Paris Olympics a record-breaking Summer Games for Canada, winning the silver medal in the men's 800-metre. And if it weren't for Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi finishing in first by the slimmest of margins, Arop would be celebrating a gold-medal win instead of silver.
SILVER FOR CANADA 🇨🇦
CANADIAN RECORD MARCO AROP
1:41.20
WHAT A RACE BY AROP. SO CLOSE TO GOLD. pic.twitter.com/UZINZTXVTP— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) August 10, 2024
🇨🇦Marco Arop just ran the race of his life.
It’s the fourth fastest 800m time in history.
He smashed his Canadian record.
Absolutely brilliant by the 25-year-old from Edmonton. pic.twitter.com/twC0Eij1qb— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) August 10, 2024
Arop ran his strategic race perfectly, hanging around the back of the pack for the first half before turning on the jets in the second. When Arop began making his move to the front of the pack it looked as though the race was his, but Wanyonyi held onto his spot in first to pick up the gold with a time of 1:41.19 seconds, just one one-hundredth of a second in front of Arop, who finished in 1:41.20 seconds.
Arop's time is also the fourth-fastest men's 800-metre time in the history of the event, while also setting a new record among North American runners.
#Paris2024 🇫🇷
800m M
1⃣ Emmanuel #Wanyonyi 🇰🇪 1:41.19 🥇
2⃣ Marco Arop 🇨🇦 1:41.20 🥈
3⃣ Djamel Sedjati 🇩🇿 1:41.50 🥉
4⃣ Bryce Hoppel 🇺🇸 1:41.67
5⃣ Mohamed Attaoui 🇪🇸 1:42.08#Olympics #atletica #athletics pic.twitter.com/EMyCBQIIch— SportRisultati (@SportRisultati) August 10, 2024
It was fast. Real fast.
Three of the fastest of All-Time go 1-2-3. 1:42.14 took seventh 🤯
Marco Arop snags the North American Record 🇨🇦 with his 1:41.20.#Paris2024 | 📸Getty pic.twitter.com/PPHvPdl7xq— FloTrack (@FloTrack) August 10, 2024
Arop's silver is just the fifth medal for Canada in this event since it was introduced into the Olympics in 1896 — Canada won silver twice in 1932 and 1964, as well as two bronze medals in 1932 and 1936.
The silver-medal win pushes Canada's medal haul in Paris to 26, which is two more than Team Canada collected at the Tokyo Summer Games three years ago. As was already stated above, the Paris Olympics now represent Canada's most successful non-boycotted Summer Games ever with 26 medals, and counting.
Canadian Olympic fans couldn't help but take to social media to bask in Arop's silver-medal glory.
“I ran the race of my life and I really thought I had it”
🇨🇦 Marco Arop hasn’t stopped smiling after his national record 800m time to win Olympic silver.
There’s nothing he would have changed. Spectacular. pic.twitter.com/kebRfGAIOX— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) August 10, 2024
Did he ever! A beautiful run by Marco Arop! Canada is so proud! 🇨🇦❤️
— Jones8 (@Jones8science) August 10, 2024
SILVER MEDAL MARCO AROP! Sooooooo close to gold
— Aaron (@AaronC_48) August 10, 2024
@marco_arop Congrats on winning your Olympic medal!🥈🇨🇦 Looking forward to your future races.
— Marlene (@grnrider) August 10, 2024
Marco Arop ran 51.1/50.1 splits. That’s insane.
— Andrew Catton (@agcatton) August 10, 2024
More news from Team Canada on Day 15
Kelsey Mitchell moves on to the women's cycling sprint quarterfinal
Ana Godinez Gonzalez moves on to the bronze-medal wrestling match in women's 62kg
Sophia Jensen and Michelle Russell did not medal in the women’s single canoe 200-metre final
Rylan Wiens and Nathan Zsombor-Murray did not medal after competing in Saturday morning's men's 10-metre platform final
Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharp miss the podium as the women's golf competition comes to a close
Thomas Fafard did not medal in the men's 5000-metre this afternoon
Canada finishes in sixth place in the women's 4x400-metre relay