Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Athletics - Men's Long Jump - Decathlon Long Jump - Olympic Stadium, Tokyo, Japan - August 4, 2021. Pierce Lepage of Canada in action REUTERS/Aleksandra SzmigielALEKSANDRA SZMIGIEL/Reuters
A WARN-ING TO ALL COMPETITORS
It seems not even a mediocre (by his standards) result in the high jump can slow down Canada’s Damian Warner. The 31-year-old from London, Ont., remained in the lead in the Olympic decathlon after five of 10 events. Pierce LePage of Whitby, Ont., was third. Warner began the day by running 10.12 seconds in the 100 metres to tie his decathlon world record. The No. 1-ranked decathlete in the world this year then crushed the field in the long jump, soaring 8.24 metres, the longest in Olympic decathlon history. He was 11th in the shot put, then cleared 2.02 metres in the high jump to tie for eighth. He ended the day with a third-place finish in his men’s 400 metres heat.
Alannah Yip of Canada competes in sport climbing at the Tokyo Olympics on Aug. 4, 2021.STOYAN NENOV/Reuters
REACH FOR THE TOP
Alannah Yip of North Vancouver, B.C., didn’t move on to the final of the first Olympic sport climbing competition. But she did start the competition strong with a pair of personal bests in the speed portion of the event. The speed discipline sees safety harness-clad competitors race up a 15-foot wall peppered with so-called “holds” before touching a button at the top. “What a great analogy for life climbing is – you fall down, you get right back up and try again,” she said.
Sakura Yosozumi of Japan competes in the women's park skateboarding finals at the 2020 Summer Olympics on Aug. 4, 2021, in Tokyo, Japan.Ben Curtis/The Associated Press
GNARLY DEBUT
Sakura Yosozumi of Japan, 19, won the inaugural Olympic women’s park event in skateboarding, solidifying Japan’s dominance of the sport making its Olympic debut. The silver went to Kokona Hiraki, who at 12 became Japan’s youngest Olympic medallist. Britain’s Sky Brown, who at 13 became that country’s youngest medallist, prevented a Japanese medal sweep, taking the bronze. Japanese skaters also took both golds in the men and women’s street events in the first week of the Tokyo Games. “This competition, which was held at my country, made us stronger from what we used to be,” Yosozumi said. “I want everyone to love skateboarding.”
Alena Sharp of Canada competes in women's golf at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics on Aug. 4, 2021.MURAD SEZER/Reuters
CANADIAN UPS AND DOWNS
In golf, Canadians Alena Sharp and Brooke Henderson both struggled in the first round of the women’s tournament. The Canadians are well down the leaderboard after shooting three-over 74 rounds at Kasumigaseki Country Club. Elsewhere on the track, Geneviève Lalonde of Moncton, N.B., was 11th in the women’s 3,000 steeplechase, shaving a couple of tenths of a second off her Canadian record to run 9:22.40. Gabriela DeBues-Stafford clinched her spot in the women’s 1,500 final by finishing third in her semi in a season’s best 3:58.28. Her time was the third fastest on the night in the fastest semi-final in Olympic history with five women dipping under the four-minute mark. Her younger sister Lucia Stafford was sixth in her semi-final (a personal best 4:02.12), and didn’t advance.
Kate Sanderson, of Canada, exits the water after finishing the women's marathon swimming event at the 2020 Summer Olympics on Aug. 4, 2021, in Tokyo.David Goldman/The Associated Press
WARRIORS ON THE WATER
People love a good dip in the pool, but how many would be enticed by the prospect of swimming – non-stop – for two straight hours? That’s the type of elite stamina it took to win gold in the marathon swimming event. Brazil’s Ana Marcela Cunha overcame the heat, humidity and marine life at Tokyo Bay to finish the 10-kilometre course first in a time of 1 hour 59 minutes 30.8 seconds. That was just nine-tenths ahead of defending champion Sharon van Rouwendaal of the Netherlands. Canada’s Kate Sanderson finished 18th in a time of 2:04:59.1.
– The Canadian Press, The Associated Press