Summer McIntosh makes history with 3rd gold medal, as Team Canada’s Liendo, Kharun also secure podium finishes

While the watching experience and timing for the 2024 Paris Olympics isn’t quite as challenging for Canadian viewers as it was for Tokyo 2020 or Beijing 2022, a good chunk of action during these Games happens when plenty of Canadians are fast asleep.

Whether you were crushing some zzz’s, busy at work, had family activities to take part in or just didn’t have a chance to tune in, we have you covered throughout these Olympics from start to finish, with Team Canada currently sitting at 15 medals, soon to be 16 thanks to Wyatt Sanford in boxing.

Here’s what you may have missed on Day 8, including another gold medal for Summer, silver medal for Canada’s women’s eights rowing team, and a pair of podium finishes in the 100-meter butterfly.

Summer McIntosh makes it a gold-medal hattrick in Paris

Make those three gold medals for Summer McIntosh in Paris.

After securing gold in the women’s 200-meter butterfly, and another in women’s 400-meter individual medley, Summer made it a hat trick with her third gold in the women’s 200-meter individual medley on Saturday afternoon.

Her historic Olympic run continues as she becomes the first Canadian ever to win three gold medals at the Winter or Summer Games. Summer has also matched Penny Oleksiak’s record from 2016 in Rio for the most medals won in a single Summer Games by a Canadian.

And she’s not done yet. Summer could potentially win a fifth medal in Paris as Team Canada gets prepared for the 4×100 mixed medley final this afternoon.

Canada’s Josh Liendo, Ilya Kharun both medal in men’s 100-meter butterfly

Team Canada continued to excel in the pool on Saturday as Josh Liendo and Ilya Kharun both medaled in the men’s 100-meter butterfly, winning silver and bronze, respectively.

Toronto’s Liendo swam hard, going neck-in-neck with Hungary’s Milak Kristof, who won the gold medal with a time of 49.90. Liendo wound up finishing just 0.09 seconds away from gold with a time of 49.99.

Montreal native Kharun wasn’t too far behind, grabbing the bronze with a time of 50.45. Kharun now has two medals in Paris after picking up silver in the men’s 200-meter butterfly earlier in the games.

Canada has a chance to pick up even more medals Saturday in the pool as Summer McIntosh, Sydney Pickrem, and Canada’s mixed medley relay team are all set to swim in final events this afternoon.

Canada’s women’s eights rowing team medals in back-to-back Summer Games

The Canadian defending-champion women’s eights rowing team won a silver medal on Saturday morning, finishing the finals with a time of five minutes and 58.84 seconds. Romania, finishing ahead of Canada with a time of five minutes and 54.39 seconds, won gold.

Canada had to dig deep for its second-consecutive medal at the Summer Games — Canada won gold three years ago in Tokyo — after the team found itself in a battle with Great Britain in the final 500 meters.

“At the end of the day it was all about belief,” said Avalon Wasteneys of Campbell River, BC “We went out on that course and we knew that we were going to give our best possible race we could do, on the day it mattered.”

“I was just digging as deep as I could, trying to find every ounce of energy and ultimately trying to leave the race course with zero regrets,” Wasteneys added.

Four members of the Tokyo team returned to compete in Paris, including Wasteneys, Calgary’s Kasia Gruchalla-Wesierski, Toronto’s Sydney Payne, and Coxswain Kristen Kit of St. Catharines, Ont.

Joining them on their silver-medal quest in Paris were Victoria’s Caileigh Filmer, Abby Dent of Kenora, Ont., Maya Meschkuleit of Mississauga, Ont., Kristina Walker of Wolfe Island, Ont., and Jessica Sevick of Strathmore, Alta.

Felix Auger-Aliassime loses bronze-medal match in men’s singles

Felix Auger-Aliassime’s historic run at the Olympics has come to an end, and not in the way that he was likely hoping for.

The Montreal native lost his men’s singles bronze-medal match on Saturday afternoon, falling to Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

It’s been a record-setting Olympic run for Auger-Aliassime who, along with his partner Gabby Dabrowski, won Canada’s second-ever Olympic medal in tennis on Friday with bronze in mixed doubles. Auger-Aliassime’s 4th place finish is now the best-ever finish for a Canadian in men’s or women’s singles tennis.

Despite the loss, Canadians are very proud of what Auger-Aliassime was able to accomplish in Paris.

More Team Canada news on Day 8 in Paris: