PARIS – Wyatt Sanford ended one streak and continued another on Day 9 of the Paris Olympics.
The boxer from Kennetcook, N.S., was defeated in his 63.5-kilogram semifinal bout against France’s Sofiane Oumiha on Sunday.
However, with boxing awarding two bronze medals to the semifinal losers rather than stage a fight for third place, Sanford ended Canada’s Olympic medal drought in the sport that stretched over the last six Games. The last Canadian boxer to step on the podium had been David Defiagbon, who took heavyweight silver at the 1996 Games in Atlanta.
And with Sanford’s bronze already added to the official medal table, Canada has equalled its record streak of nine straight days on the podium set at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Canada sat ninth in the overall medal table with 16 (four gold, four silver, eight bronze).
More medals were up for grabs later Sunday, led by hammer thrower Ethan Katzberg. The world champion from Nanaimo, B.C., had the best throw in qualifying.
Swimming superstar Summer McIntosh of Toronto had a chance to win her fifth medal in Paris with Canada’s 4×100 medley relay team, while decorated sprinter Andre De Grasse of Markham, Ont., was set to run in the 100-metre semifinals.
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Four of the five judges scored the 63.5 kg semifinal 29-28 in Oumiha’s favour, while the other had Sanford winning by the same score.
Sanford made it a close match by winning the third round on four of the five judges’ scorecards, but the Canadian ran out of time to build on that momentum.
“I feel great. I didn’t get the result I wanted, but he is one hell of a fighter. A great boxer,” Sanford said after the fight.
“I can’t feel too sad about it. I’ve no regrets. I’m super happy with the performance, I just didn’t get the outcome. That’s just the way it goes.”
Sanford, who entered the Games as the top-ranked fighter in his weight category and reigning Pan American Games champion, said after winning his quarterfinal fight that he wanted to bring a gold medal back to Kennetcook. He’ll be bringing back bronze instead, and he is fine with that.
“I can’t wait to get back there to celebrate the bronze medal with my family and friends who have been there for me since day one. It’s fantastic to be able to give them something back for all that support over the years,” he said.
It was another Olympics to forget for Canada’s women’s basketball team, which went winless at the Games following a 79-70 loss to Nigeria in Lille.
After finishing ninth in Tokyo, Canada came into this summer’s tournament ranked fifth in the world. The squad was expected to challenge for a medal, but struggled with turnovers and defensive lapses in losses to Nigeria, Australia and France.
“You’re competing with the best in the world, in do-or-die situations, every possession, every game,” said Canadian veteran Natalie Achonwa, who said her fourth Olympics will be her last,
“When I take this jersey off, I hope that I left it better than I found it,” she added. “And that everyone back home knows that every time I put it on, I did it with the utmost amount of pride and passion.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2024.