Canada is sending 314 athletes from 37 sports to Rio de Janeiro for the Summer Olympics. These athletes are at the top of their game, and lots of them are on top of the world too — with a good shot at a medal based on their previous performance.
READ MORE: Canada hoping for top-12 finish in overall medal count
Here are some Canadian medal hopefuls to watch this Olympics:
Derek Drouin – high jump
Drouin was the 2015 World Champion high jumper, and took home bronze during the last Olympics in London. The Corunna, Ontario native has been doing better than ever lately and stands a good chance of hopping back onto the podium in Rio.
Melissa Bishop – 800 metre run
Bishop won silver at the world championships in 2015 and was also the Pan Am champion that year. She’s currently among the top three athletes in that race length in the world — meaning she might be able to snag a medal.
Shawn Barber – pole vault
Barber is the current pole vault world champion and also won gold at the Pan Am Games in 2015. He’s currently ranked third in the world, behind world record-holder Renaud Laviennie of France and Sam Kendricks of the U.S.
Andre De Grasse – sprints
De Grasse, although fairly young, has been burning up the track lately, winning gold in the 100m and 200m sprints at the Pan Am Games in 2015 and bronze in the 100m and 4x100m sprints at the world championships. The Markham, Ont., native has been more subdued in 2016 so far, but should still be fun to watch as he goes into his first Olympics.
Mandy Bujold – boxing (51kg)
Bujold has gold medals from the Pan Am Games in 2011 and 2015 and came in 5th at the world championships in 2014. She’s currently ranked second in the world in her weight class.
Mark de Jonge – K-1 200m
Kayaker Mark de Jonge won bronze at the London Olympics, but seems to have gotten better since then. He’s held the title of world champion for two years, won gold at the Pan Am games in 2015 and has been working hard going into his second Olympics.
READ MORE: Secret research will help Canadian kayakers go faster at the Games
Emily Overholt – swimming (400m freestyle, 400m individual medley)
Overholt won three swimming medals at the Pan Am Games in 2015, setting a Pan Am record time in the 400m freestyle in the process. She also won a bronze in the 400m individual medley at the world championships. At just 18 years old, she’s one of several teen stars on the Canadian swim team in Rio.
Allison Beveridge, Laura Brown, Jasmin Glaesser, Kirsti Lay and Georgia Simmerling – Cycling team pursuit
Canada won silver in the team pursuit at the world championships this year. The country has a good record in this event: making it onto the podium at every major event since 2012. Interestingly, two of these athletes competed at a high level in different sports: Simmerling was an Olympic skier and Lay was a speed skater.
Meaghan Benfeito, Roseline Filion – Diving
Whether diving individually or as a pair, Benfeito and Filion have seen lots of medals over the years. They took home Olympic bronze in London in 2012 in the 10m synchro event. They also won silver at the world championships in 2013 and 2015 in that event. Filion was the top-ranked diver in the women’s 10m platform at the end of the 2016 world series.
Will Crothers, Kai Langerfeld, Conlin McCabe, Tim Schrijver – Rowing (men’s four)
The men’s four rowing team won gold at Pan Am and bronze at the world cup in 2015. Two of them were also part of the Olympic silver medal-winning men’s eight crew.
Caileigh Filmer, Susanne Grainger, Natalie Mastracci, Cristy Nurse, Lisa Roman, Christine Roper, Lesley Thompson-Willie, Antje von Seydlitz, Lauren Wilkinson – Rowing (women’s eight)
This team is consistently ranked second in the world behind the United States. They recently won bronze at the 2015 World Championships. Coxswain Lesley Thompson-Willie is heading into her eighth Olympics, tying the all-time record for Olympic appearances by a woman. She’s 56 years old.
Rosie MacLennan – Gymnastics, trampoline
MacLennan won Canada’s only gold at the London Olympics, and has won many medals at other international competitions since then. She will also be carrying the flag for Canada at the Opening Ceremony in Rio.
Antoine Valois-Fortier – Judo (81 kg)
Valois-Fortier is currently ranked fourth in the world in his weight class. He’s won silver and bronze medals at the world championships, and also holds a bronze medal from his Olympic debut in London.
The Rio Olympics kick off with an Opening Ceremony Friday night. Check out Global News’ Rio 2016 page for the latest updates.
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