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Olympic Roundup: Second gold medal highlights big day for Canada

Jul 27, 2021 | 9:00 AM

Canada’s women athletes are owning the podium at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Canada doubled its medal total to eight with a gold in weightlifting, a silver in swimming and bronze in judo and softball.

All of Canada’s medals have been won by women athletes so far.

Weightlifter Maude Charron has won Canada’s second gold medal at the Tokyo Games.

Charron, from Rimouski, Que., finished first in the women’s 64-kilogram competition after a successful lift of 131 kilograms on her third and final clean and jerk attempt.

Charron also had the highest score in the snatch phase, lifting 105 kilograms. Her total of 236 points over the two phases was four better than silver medallist Giorgia Bordignon of Italy.

Wen-Huei Chen of Taiwan finished third.

Charron’s gold is Canada’s second of the games after swimmer Maggie Mac Neil won the women’s 100-metre butterfly on Monday.

Canada’s big day in Tokyo included more success in the pool. Kylie Masse of Lasalle, Ont., earned silver in the 100-metre backstroke for Canada’s third swimming medal in as many days.

Canada also earned a pair of bronze medals on the day, including its first-ever medal in softball. The Canadian squad defeated Mexico 3-2. In judo, Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard defeated a Venezuelan opponent in the bronze-medal match of the under-63-kilogram division.

Elsewhere, the Russian Olympic Committee has won the gold medal in women’s gymnastics after U.S. star Simone Biles exited with a medical issue.

The 24-year-old U.S. star, considered to be the greatest gymnast of all time, huddled with a trainer after landing her vault. She then exited the competition floor with the team doctor.

Biles returned several minutes later with her right leg wrapped. She took off her bar grips, and hugged teammates Grace McCallum, Sunisa Lee and Jordan Chiles before putting on a jacket and sweatpants.

The Russian gymnasts posted a team score of 169.528, ahead of the U.S. in second place at 166.096. The gold is the first for the Russians since the Unified Team triumphed in Barcelona in 1992 and came a day after the men’s team edged Japan for the top spot in the men’s final.

Great Britain won bronze.