Canadian Olympic gold medalist Bruny Surin of Quebec City, Quebec was named Canada’s Chef de Mission for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on Friday according to Devin Heroux of CBC Sports. Surin won a gold medal for Canada in the men’s 4x100m relay at the 1996 Olympic Games on Atlanta.
Surin’s gold medal in the men’s 4×100 metre relay was one of the greatest moments in Canadian sports history. In winning alongside Donovan Bailey of Oakville, Ontario, Glenroy Gilbert of Ottawa, Ontario, and Robert Esmie of Sudbury, Ontario in the final, Canada posted a time of 37.69 seconds to beat the American team by 0.36 seconds.
A Knight of the National Order of Quebec (2016), Surin received the Order of Canada in 2021. He was also inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 2004 and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
Team Canada will be looking to improve on its 24 Olympic medals at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021. Of the two previous Olympic Games in Paris, Canada won six medals.
At the 1900 Olympic Games in Paris, George Orton of Strathroy, Ontario, was Canada’s first ever Olympic medalist as he won the bronze medal in the men’s 400 metre hurdles on July 15, 1900. Then later on the same day, Orton became Canada’s first ever Olympic gold medalist as he won the gold medal in the men’s 2500m steeplechase.
At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, Canada won four medals. Two silver medals came in rowing, as Canada placed second in the men’s coxless fours and men’s eights. Canada also won silver in the men’s team clay pigeons shooting event, and a bronze medal from Douglas Lewis of Toronto in men’s welterweight boxing.
