TORONTO – Canada’s Whitney McClintock captured gold in the women’s water ski slalom event, capturing the nation’s 65th gold medal.
The Cambridge, Ont., native finished first in the six-skier event, ahead of Americans Regina Jaquess and Erika Lang.
“I was confident, I went out and skied the best I possibly could,” McClintock said.
The 25-year-old captured gold in Wednesday’s overall event.
“If I had a silver medal coming into today, I think I would’ve had a lot more pressure,” McClintock said. “Once you get that first gold it builds momentum.”
McClintock’s gold is Canada’s 65th of the Games, setting a new national Pan Am record. The previous record of 64 medals was set in 1999 when Winnipeg hosted the Games.
Her brother, Jason McClintock, also earned a medal Thursday, after finishing second in the men’s slalom event.
Nate Smith of the U.S. took gold while Javier Julio of Argentina captured bronze.
“I was really close to getting the two ball,” Jason said. “It’s going to haunt me forever because that was the gold right there and I was inches from it.”
“I did what I thought I needed to do, and it wasn’t quite enough,” he added.
Both McClintock siblings compete in the tricks finals later today.
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