This article is over 5 years old and may contain outdated information.

People & Culture

Video of the Week: Penny Oleksiak wins Olympic gold

The young swimmer has inspired legions of fans with her performance in Rio
  • Aug 12, 2016
  • 181 words
  • 1 minutes
Penny Oleksiak hugs Simone Manuel Expand Image
Advertisement

“The last 15 metres, I put my head down and I bit my lip and I was just going as hard as I could,” said Canadian Olympic swimmer Penny Oleksiak to the CBC about her historic gold medal win in the 100 metre freestyle on August 11.

With a time of 52.70 seconds, the 16-year-old swimmer tied American Simone Manuel, setting a new Olympic record and earning her fourth medal, the most by any Canadian at a single summer Olympics. Oleksiak is now the youngest gold medalist in Canadian Olympic history. Manuel also made news as the first African American woman to win a gold medal in an individual swimming event.

This video of the historic race shows Oleksiak in seventh place as she comes out of the flip turn. During the last 50-metres, Oleksiak drives to the finish line, as she’s done all week, swimming the length an incredible half second faster than her competitors.

And Oleksiak’s not finished yet; watch as she competes in the 4×100 metres medley relay on August 13. 

Advertisement

Are you passionate about Canadian geography?

You can support Canadian Geographic in 3 ways:

Related Content

Travel

The spell of the Yukon 

An insider’s account of the modern-day gold rush

  • 4210 words
  • 17 minutes

People & Culture

Kahkiihtwaam ee-pee-kiiweehtataahk: Bringing it back home again

The story of how a critically endangered Indigenous language can be saved

  • 6310 words
  • 26 minutes

People & Culture

Placing the Pandemic in Perspective: Coping with curfew in Montreal

For unhoused residents and those who help them, the pandemic was another wave in a rising tide of challenges 

  • 2727 words
  • 11 minutes

Travel

How to stop a gold rush

The new movement building flourishing tourism hubs across Canada – one sustainable example at a time

  • 3297 words
  • 14 minutes