Canada will head into the final two days of competition of the Paris Olympics with a chance to make history.
A silver medal in beach volleyball from Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson to cap competition on Friday gave Canada 24 medals at the Games.
That tied the number Canada won three years ago in Tokyo, which set a record for a non-boycotted Games. Canada’s official record of 44 medals, including 10 gold, was set at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, which were boycotted by the Soviet Union and 14 other Eastern Bloc countries.
Earlier Friday, Canada’s 4x100 relay team, led by star sprinter Andre De Grasse, won gold, tying the non-boycott gold-medal record of seven, previously achieved by Canada in Tokyo and Barcelona in 1992.
Canadian athletes poised to help set a new national medal mark in action Saturday include former world champion breaker Phil Kim, runner Marco Arop in the 800 metres, Katie Vincent and Sophia Jensen in sprint canoe, diver Rylan Wiens and Canada’s women’s 4x400 relay team.
Canada’s performance in Paris is made more impressive when considering some of the country’s strongest medal hopefuls entering the Games didn’t step on the podium.