Olympic newsletter: Hammer history, 100m photo finish, and what to watch Monday
CBC
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Ethan Katzberg won Canada's first-ever Olympic hammer throw gold today in Paris, while Wyatt Sanford got the country's first boxing medal since 1996.
That brings Canada's tally up to an excellent 17 medals — 5 gold, 4 silver, 8 bronze. At least one Canadian has reached the podium in each of the nine full days of competition, matching the country's longest medal streak ever.
On the down side, two of Canada's biggest stars came up short today. Summer McIntosh faded late in her final swim to leave her relay team off the podium, and Andre De Grasse was eliminated in the men's 100m semifinals.
WATCH | CBC's Meg Roberts tells you what to watch on Day 10:
Meanwhile, some marquee international names captured their first Olympic gold in dramatic fashion. U.S. sprinter Noah Lyles won the men's 100m final in a spectacular photo finish, Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic completed the career Golden Slam, and top-ranked American golfer Scottie Scheffler stole the men's title with a record-tying final round.
Monday looks like a slower day for Canadian contenders, so let's spend some extra time recapping today's most interesting stuff before looking at what to watch on Day 10.
On a Paris night that will be remembered for the closest men's 100m finish in decades, Katzberg went the other way by winning Canada's first Olympic hammer throw gold by a huge margin. The Canadian heaved the 16-pound implement 84.12 metres with his first throw of the final, giving him the victory by more than four metres after none of his competitors could touch him with their six attempts.
The youngest guy in the competition at 22 years old, Katzberg seemingly came out of nowhere last year to win Canada's first world title in the hammer throw in his first appearance at the world championships. Now he's won gold in his Olympic debut too, while becoming the first Canadian to reach a hammer throw podium in 112 years.
WATCH | Katzberg's historic gold-medal performance on Day 9:
Not long after Katzberg's historic win, Lyles beat Jamaica's Kishane Thompson by .005 seconds in a thrilling 100m finish. It was so close that no one knew who had won the race for some 30 seconds as the sprinters breathlessly awaited the verdict. Both men were given a time of 9.79 seconds, but the rarely used third decimal place showed Lyles crossed the line in 9.784 and Thompson in 9.789.
It was the closest 100m final since at least 1980, when the top two in Moscow clocked 10.25 at a time when timing didn't extend to the thousandths of a second.
American Fred Kerley (9.81) was right there too, adding a bronze medal to the silver he won in Tokyo. Fourth-place Akani Simbine of South Africa (9.82) missed the podium by an eyelash, while defending champ Marcell Jacobs of Italy finished fifth in 9.85.
WATCH | Lyles surges to 100m gold in dramatic photo finish:
