Tierney makes Olympic debut in 100-metre backstroke
Saskatoon swimmer, Blake Tierney made a splash with his Olympic debut in the men’s 100-metre backstroke heats, finishing fifth with a 53.89 time, to earn a spot in the afternoon’s semifinals.
Following his performance Sunday morning, Tierney finished eighth with a 53.71 time in semifinals and will not be advancing to Monday’s 100-m finals.
Tierney will now begin preparation for his performance Wed. July 31 at 3:00 a.m., in the men’s 200-m backstroke heats.
Canadian women’s rugby 7s team has mixed results
The Canadian women’s rugby 7s team, with Waldheim’s Carissa Norsten, began their time in Paris with a 17-14 win over Fiji, scoring two of their tries in the first half and one in the second. Later in the day, Canada fell 33-7 to New Zealand in their second match. Canada scored a try midway through the first half to tie the game at 7, but it was all New Zealand after that as they scored another two tries in the remaining first-half time and added another to in the second half. Canada and Norsten will play their final pool game against China on Monday, July 29 at 8:00 a.m. Saskatchewan time. Playoffs will then follow in the afternoon.
Upcoming Saskatchewan competition
Monday, July 29 will open the week’s events with four individuals with ties to Saskatchewan making an appearance on the international stage in Paris.
Pike Lake’s Rylan Wiens will join diving partner, Nathan Zsombor-Murray, at 3:00 a.m. (SK time), in the men’s synchronized 10-metre platform event.
For her Olympic debut, Blaire McDowell, who hails from Regina, will join Canada’s women’s water polo team in their opening match against Hungary at 12:05 p.m. (SK time).
Back for her second day of action on the rugby field, Waldheim’s Carissa Norsten and the Canadian women’s 7s team will face off against China at 8:00 a.m. (SK time). Depending on results, Canada will have a chance to move onto quarterfinals (12:00 or 12:30 p.m. SK time) or compete in 9-12 placing games (1:00 or 1:30 p.m. SK time) in the afternoon.
Head coach Lisa Thomaidis and assistant coach, Connor Jay, both with ties to Saskatoon, will be guiding Germany’s women’s basketball team through their first game against Belgium at 5:30 a.m. (SK time).
Olympic Notes: Canada’s medal count has gone up by one. A historic bronze was claimed by Eleanor Harvey, who won Canada’s first Olympic medal in fencing. Canada’s medal count: 2 (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze).
Read the full Day Two recap on Olympic.ca