This has quite simply been a fantastic Pan American Games for Maggie Mac Neil of London, Ontario. On Wednesday from Santiago, Chile, Mac Neil won her fifth gold medal in the multi-sport competition. This time the Canadian Olympic gold medalist from the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 in the women’s 100 metre butterfly, won the gold medal in the women’s 4×100 metre medley relay alongside Danielle Hanus of Newmarket, Ontario, Rachel Nicol of Regina, Saskatchewan, and Mary-Sophie Harvey of Laval, Quebec.
Over the last week, Mac Neil also won a gold medal for Canada in the women’s 50 metre freestyle, women’s 100 metre freestyle, women’s 100 metre butterfly, and women’s 4×100 metre freestyle relay. In the process, Mac Neil has set the record for the most gold medals won by a Canadian at the Pan American Games with five, and tied the record for the most gold medals won by a swimmer at the Pan American Games. According to Swimming Canada, Cynthia Woodhead won five gold medals for the United States at the 1979 Pan American Games in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
In the women’s 4×100 metre medley relay, Canada had a winning time of 3:58.76. The United States won the silver medal with a time of 3:59.39, and Mexico won the bronze medal with a time of 4:04.73.
Canada won two more gold medals in swimming on Wednesday. Finlay Knox of Okotoks, Alberta won the gold medal in the men’s 200 metre individual medley, and Sydney Pickrem of Halifax, Nova Scotia won the gold medal in the women’s 200 metre individual medley. In the men’s 200 metre individual medley, Knox had a winning time of 1:58.74. Arsenio Bustas of the United States won the silver medal with a time of 1:59.89. Leonardo Coelho of Brazil won the bronze medal with a time of 2:00.58. In the women’s 200 metre individual medley, Pickrem had a winning time of 2:09.04 for a Pan American Games record. Harvey won a silver medal for Canada with a time of 2:11.92. Kennedy Noble of the United States won the bronze medal with a time of 2:14.19.
Team Canada also won four gold medals on Wednesday in badminton. In men’s singles, Brian Yang of Toronto, Ontario beat Kevin Cordon of the Independent Athletes in the final, 21-18, 21-6. In men’s doubles, Adam Dong of Toronto and Nyl Yakura of Scarborough, Ontario, beat Fabricio Farias and Davi Silva of Brazil in the final, 19-21, 21-15, 21-18. In women’s doubles, Josephine Wu of Edmonton, Alberta and Catherine Choi of Toronto beat Annie Xu and Kerry Xu of the United States in the final, 21-18, 10-21, 21-17. In mixed doubles, Ty Lindeman of St. Albert, Alberta and Wu beat Vinson Chiu and Jennie Gai of the United States in the final, 17-21, 21-17, 21-19.
Team Canada won an eighth gold medal on Wednesday as well. This time in the sport of cycling, as Canada placed first in the women’s team pursuit. Mexico won silver and Colombia won bronze.
In addition to Harvey, Team Canada won two silver medals on Wednesday. Those came in diving, as Nathan Zsombor-Murray of Montreal, Quebec won silver in the men’s 10 metre platform, and Mia Vallee of Beaconsfield, Quebec and Pamela Ware of Greenfield Park, Quebec won silver in the women’s three metre synchronized springboard diving.
There were also seven bronze medals for Canada. Alizee Brien of Sainte-Agathe, Quebec and Shaye de Paiva of Calgary, Alberta won bronze in the women’s rowing double sculls, Shannon Westlake of Toronto won bronze in the women’s 50 metre rifle shooting, Rachel Chan of Toronto won bronze in women’s singles badminton, Felix Dolci of Saint-Eustache, Quebec won bronze in men’s vault gymnastics, Ava Stewart of Bowmanville, Ontario won bronze in the women’s balance beam gymnastics, Rene Cournoyer of Repentigny, Quebec won bronze in the men’s horizontal bar gymnastics, and Canada won bronze in the men’s 4100 metre medley swimming relay.
Canada has now won 76 medals at the 2023 Pan American Games (28 gold medals, 23 silver medals, and 25 bronze medals), and are in second place in the medal standings. The United States lead with 134 medals.
