Caileigh Filmer of Victoria, British Columbia and Hillary Janssens of Surrey, British Columbia have won the bronze medal for Canada in the women’s rowing pairs competition at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021. Canada has now won 10 medals at the Olympic Games (two gold medals, three silver medals, and five bronze medals).
Filmer and Janssens posted a time of six minutes, 52.10 seconds. Grace Prendergast and Kerri Gowler of New Zealand won the gold medal with a time of six minutes, 50.19 seconds. Vasilisa Stepanova and Elena Oriabinskaia of the Russian Olympic Committee won the silver medal with a time of six minutes, 51.45 seconds. Filmer and Janssens reached the podium by 2.86 seconds over Helen Glover and Polly Swann of Great Britain, who had a fourth place time of 6:54.96.
The best part of Filmer and Janssens’ race was the first half. The pair were leading after the first 500 metres, and at the halfway point of the race.
Filmer and Janssens were Canada’s best chance for an Olympic medal in women’s rowing. Heading into the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, Filmer and Janssens had won the gold medal at the 2018 World Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, and the 2019 World Rowing Championships in Ottensheim, Austria.