Sanford's boxing bronze extends Canada's medal streak in Paris to nine days

PARIS — Canada established itself as a hammer throw powerhouse when Ethan Katzberg and Camryn Rogers won men’s and women’s gold at last year's world championships.

They’re halfway to defending their titles as the world’s best at the Paris Olympics.

Katzberg crushed the field in the men’s event Sunday. The 22-year-old from Nanaimo, B.C., opened with a throw of 84.12 metres to win Canada's first gold medal in the event.

"I don't if I expected (to win gold) but I had the preparation in mind to get out a good first throw," Katzberg said. "It felt really good.

"I might have thought it could be good enough, but I didn't want to assume anything so I was still trying to improve my distance throughout the rounds. But fortunately, 84 sealed the deal."

No one else came close. Bence Halasz of Hungary took silver at 79.97 metres and Mykhaylo Kokhan threw 79.39 metres to earn bronze.

Rogers will have the chance to back Katzberg up in the women’s final Tuesday. The 25-year-old from Richmond, B.C., won her group Tuesday morning with a throw of 74.69 metres, the second furthest of the day.

Elsewhere on Sunday, boxer Wyatt Sanford ended one streak and continued another, sprinter Andre De Grasse missed a final for the first time and swimmer Summer McIntosh wrapped up her prolific Games on Day 9 of the Paris Olympics.

Sanford, of Kennetcook, N.S., was defeated in his 63.5-kilogram semifinal bout against France's Sofiane Oumiha earlier Sunday.

However, with boxing awarding two bronze medals to the semifinal losers rather than stage a fight for third place, Sanford ended Canada's Olympic medal drought in the sport that stretched over the last six Games. The last Canadian boxer to step on the podium had been David Defiagbon, who took heavyweight silver at the 1996 Games in Atlanta.

His bronze helped Canada equal its record streak of nine straight days on the podium set at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Canada sat ninth in the overall medal table with 17 (five gold, four silver, eight bronze) thanks to Katzberg and Sanford adding to the haul.

Sanford, who entered the Games as the top-ranked fighter in his weight category and reigning Pan American Games champion, said after winning his quarterfinal fight that he wanted to bring a gold medal back to Kennetcook. He'll be bringing back bronze instead, and he is fine with that.

“I can’t wait to get back there to celebrate the bronze medal with my family and friends who have been there for me since day one,” he said. “It’s fantastic to be able to give them something back for all that support over the years.”

De Grasse posted a season-best 9.98 seconds in the 100 metres — but it still wasn’t enough to reach the final. It was a first for the 29-year-old from Markham, Ont.

He entered the Paris Games with a medal from each of his six previous Olympic competitions, including two bronze in the 100.

“It was a tough run. I definitely felt like I had a lot left in the tank, but I wasn’t able to show it today,” he said. “It’s part of the game. I’m grateful to be here, third Olympic Games. It’s a dream come true for me, to be honest. I never thought I’d be here.

“Got to keep my head up and get ready for the 200.”

De Grasse won gold in the 200 three years ago in Tokyo. He’ll begin defence of that title with heats set for Monday.

In the pool, McIntosh fell just short of winning her fifth medal on the final day of swimming. The 17-year-old from Toronto swam the freestyle anchor leg as Canada's 4x100 medley relay team placed fourth, just 0.68 seconds behind China.

McIntosh exits Paris as the first Canadian to win three gold medals at a single Games. She also won a silver and set two Olympic records.

It was another Olympics to forget for Canada's women's basketball team, which went winless at the Games following a 79-70 loss to Nigeria in Lille.

After finishing ninth in Tokyo, Canada came into this summer's tournament ranked fifth in the world. The squad was expected to challenge for a medal, but struggled with turnovers and defensive lapses in losses to Nigeria, Australia and France.

“You're competing with the best in the world, in do-or-die situations, every possession, every game," said Canadian veteran Natalie Achonwa, who said her fourth Olympics will be her last,

“When I take this jersey off, I hope that I left it better than I found it," she added. "And that everyone back home knows that every time I put it on, I did it with the utmost amount of pride and passion."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2024.