Canada has become a preeminent force in the Paris 2024 Olympics, especially in water sports. Hosting maple red flags every step of the way, they are just two medals apart to cross their 24-medal haul. Thanks to Vincent and MacKenzie, whose unparalleled prowess bagged a bronze medal for Canada. With Katie’s seasoned expertise and MacKenzie’s burgeoning talent, they have established a formidable reputation in the C-2 500m canoe/kayak sprint event.
Tokyo Olympics 2020 marked a historic moment with the inclusion of women’s canoe sprints after years of advocacy, and the Canadians took the first opportunity presented to them. Katie Vincent and Laurence Vincent Lapointe, who represented Canada in their debut performance, took the third podium stand, giving Canada a much-needed historic moment. 
Despite the astonishing performance, Vincent kept her game in her head as this would not be the only medal in her legacy and entered Paris with a dream of an upgraded medal. But the Ontario native paired with Sloan MacKenzie ended third in the race. Though it was MacKenzie’s debut performance, she wasn’t deterred from trying.
The duo had been giving back-to-back stellar performances, which gave them a spot in Canada’s expected gold medal this year, but they fell short. But the cheers didn’t fade, as irrespective of the medal color, an Olympic medal is a huge milestone to reach.
Vincent following the race, told Canadian Olympic Committee:
“You don’t see much. This crowd is electric and so loud, so you are just consumed by everything, and you just cross the line and you’re like, ‘What happened?’,” “To see a third come up, we are very proud of that.”
With a time of 1 minute 55.34 seconds, finishing first in the semifinals gave them an extra boost to upgrade to bronze. As the duo started hypersonic, they faded midway through the final race. Even with better timing at the finals, they failed to win the gold medal and ended up standing next to China and the silver medalists Poland. The podium appeared as a replica of the Tokyo Olympics medal ceremony.
Much to look forward to at the Paris 2024 Olympics
At the Tokyo Olympics, Canada placed 11th with 24 medals, but they won’t settle for the same number in Paris 2024. With two left to cross, the haul seems a tight dare for the team, but they have control despite a few expected medal losses. Starting the morning yesterday with Connor Fitzpatrick’s eight finish in the men’s 1,000-meter semi-final was rough for both the paddlers and the fans. Losing another podium spot by Pierre-Luc Poulin and Simon McTavish in the 500-meter sprint kayak, the day ended badly despite the glorious bronze medal victory.
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