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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
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“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. 

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