The 2024 Paris Olympics are now officially behind us, with the final medals sorted out and the closing ceremonies performed on Sunday afternoon and evening. Canada came out with a very healthy haul of rewards, exceeding the expectations of most sportsbooks. Nine Gold medals were good for the 12th-highest rank in the world and well exceeded the typical line of 5.5, and 27 total medals cleared the expectation of 21.5 by a similarly sound margin.
Now, we must wait another two years before our steady drip of sports variety returns in winter form—though in the meantime, we can reflect on what was, including looking at some of the best (and worst) picks in Canada Sports Betting‘s coverage of the games.
Our Biggest Hits
Some of Canada’s best performances in France were ones that we foreshadowed ahead of time.
- Summer of Summer – From the start, we felt this was going to be a big Games for the women’s swimming team, with our eyes on Summer McIntosh to be the superstar of the group, having a chance to win gold in all three of her events. What the world didn’t expect is that she would quite literally take gold in all three events, winning the 200m butterfly (-182), 400m individual medley (-2500) and 400m freestyle (+275). The 17-year-old was a supernova that electrified the nation.
- De Grasse Comes Through In The Clutch – For a little while, it looked like De Grasse would be in our biggest disappointments section. We weren’t too shocked when he didn’t make the final heat in the 100m – in fact, we were impressed that he was able to crack 10 seconds, only to be beaten by one of the most stacked classes in recent history. Not qualifying for the 200m final, however, was a shocker. He made up for this, however, by being the final runner to make a push in Canada’s upset win at the 4x100m relay this weekend despite battling an injury. With odds around +2600 to win and the Americans laughing them off before the race even started, De Grasse, along with Aaron Brown, Jerome Blake and Brendon Rodney, made us proud in the end.
- The Wizard Delivers – Give our editor Greg Warren credit, because while everyone was laughing at the idea of breakdancing being an Olympic event, he was telling bettors to keep an eye out for Phil Kim when the books opened for him. Give “Wizard” credit too, because while everyone was laughing at a clip of an Australian dancer putting in a less-than-stellar performance, he was getting ready to flip the tables and put respect back onto the event. With +225 odds attached to him, he delivered a performance to remember in the final and won one of two individual men’s golds for Canada.
- Deguchi Dominates in Judo – In that same post at the start of the games, we recommended keeping an eye on Christa Deguchi in Women’s judo. Winner at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and consistently in the mix throughout this season, the Japanese-Canadian defeated Huh Mimi of South Korea to bring home an early gold for Canada.
Our Biggest Misses
Unfortunately, not everyone we spotlighted was able to deliver. A few of our favourites to win it all instead saw their events wrap up much sooner than expected.
- Heartbreak for Warner – After winning gold at Tokyo 2020, hopes were high that Canadian Damian Warner, perhaps the nation’s best all-around athlete, could put up another strong performance in the decathlon. He had the second-shortest odds to win it all, ranging between +275 and +350. While he started strong out of the gate, he began to sputter on the second day, and three missed attempts at the pole vault took him out of the competition. There wasn’t a safe pick here, though, as Markus Rooth of Norway won despite being given +2500 odds. Favourite Leo Neugebauer ended up winning silver.
- Quick Exit for Thibeault – Hopes were extremely high for Tammara Thibeault in her weight class (75kg) for women’s boxing, with sportsbooks having her as the clear favourite to win a historic gold for her nation. In a shocker, though, she was out as early as she was in, losing her Round of 16 bout to Cindy Ngamba of Cameroon. Li Qian, who had the second-shortest odds to win, took home the gold. On the plus side for Canada, Wyatt Sanford exceeded his expectations in the men’s 63.5kg category, entering with the fifth-shortest odds and winning bronze.
Teaming Up
Team sports remained a focus at the Paris games, with two particular events capturing the nation’s attention. Both had the same end result but got there on very different emotional waves.
- Men’s Basketball Stalls Out In Quarters – Fans across the country were hopeful that Canada would build on their coming out party in the 2023 FIBA World Cup and deliver another medal, this time in an Olympic fashion. The bar for the games was pretty low, without so much as a game won since Sydney 2000, and Canada was able to crush that with a perfect group stage, defeating Greece, Australia, and Spain along the way. Unfortunately, after a wholly disappointing first half against eventual silver medallists, France was too steep of a hole to climb out of, and their tournament ended in the quarterfinals.
- Women’s Soccer A Rollercoaster Of Emotion – There may not have been a more captivating story in the first half of the games than the Canadian women’s soccer team, who were knee-deep in controversy before they played their first game. A decision by the coaching staff to fly a drone over a New Zealand practice ended up being a dire one, as it led to immediate punishment both on and off the pitch. A staff member was criminally charged for the security violation, and the team was docked six points and stripped of much of its bench, all but ending their tournament before it started. The Canadians didn’t seem to get that memo, though, somehow qualifying out of the group stage by going undefeated. A lack of finishing in a quarterfinal loss to Germany meant that the team didn’t defend gold or medal, but at least for the players on the pitch, they won back their pride.
Other Canadian Gold Medallists
Three Canadians went on to win gold medals despite us not giving them any love at all heading in – here’s who we regret not keeping more of an eye on.
- Getting Hammered – Who would have thought that Canada would become a nation of hammer throwers? Ethan Katzberg entered the men’s event as a -250 favourite to win gold and delivered with a winning toss right off the bat, turning his further attempts into risk-taking entertainment. Camryn Rogers was a -185 favourite on the women’s side, and she also got the job done, tossing her hammer just under 77 metres on her fourth attempt. Whatever they’re teaching these athletes in British Columbia – Katzberg is from Nanaimo and Rogers from Richmond – it’s working.
- Vincent Wins a Photo Finish – It couldn’t have come any closer for Katie Vincent in the 200-metre canoe sprint on Saturday, as she won gold by just 0.01 seconds, barely edging American star Nevin Harrison and setting a world record along the way. Vincent had +350 odds to win. Favourite Yarisledis Cirilo of Cuba won bronze.
