While there are no athletes from Norfolk County at the Paris games, there are four from London, four from the Niagara Region and 8 from Hamilton at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Team Canada boasts 315 athletes, 122 men and 193 women, at the Paris games across 31 sports.
Here’s a look at few athletes from nearby regions, who are competing to bring home medals from Paris.
Mohammed Ahmed – Runner – St. Catharines
In 2021, Ahmed won a silver in the men’s 5000m, the best ever finish by a Canadian at the Olympics – breaking his own record of a sixth place finish at the Rio 2016 games. This is his fourth Olympics, having competed in 2012 (London), 2016 (Rio), 2021 (Tokyo) for Canada before. Ahmed started running track at 13 years old, after seeing his brothers running at school. He says he wanted to compete for Team Canada after watching the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Born in Somalia, he spent the first 10 years of his life in Kenya before moving to Canada with his family in 2001. Since the 2021 games, he has finished Top 10 in the World Championships in both the 5000 and 10,000m distances in 2022 and 2023.
Sabrina D’Angelo – Women’s Soccer – Welland
Welland’s Sabrina D’Angelo is making her second appearance for Team Canada at the Olympics, after appearing as a keeper for the women’s football club in the Rio 2016 Olympics.
D’Angelo made her debut in the Canadian youth program as a 14-year-old in 2007, before going on to set several records while playing for the University of South Carolina, including career minutes in goal (7535) and career matches started by a goalkeeper (81) as well as the senior record for shutouts (10 in 2014).
In 2016 with Team Canada, she won a bronze medal, and is looking to continue that success after the women’s squad won gold at the Tokyo games in 2021. Most recently, she’s made appearances for Arsenal’s women’s side in the UK, and has played professionally in the United States and Sweden.
Maggie Mac Neil – Swimming – London
Powerhouse swimmer Maggie Mac Neil from London won Olympic GOLD in the 100 meter butterfly in the last summer Olympics, in Tokyo. In fact, she came home with a medal in every colour. Maggie cites the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing as the point where she “started to take swimming seriously and knew that she wanted to pursue it further.” This will likely be our last chance to see Maggie shine in the pool at the Olympics….she says she won’t be going to the LA Games in 2028 as she plans to attend law school. Keep an eye on her in her best event, that 100 meter butterfly…as she might medal again.
Damian Warner – Decathlon – London
London’s Damian Warner is one of the six Canadians expected to capture a gold medal in Paris. The Olympics’ ultimate test of all-around athleticism, the decathlon, WAS shaping up as a battle between two Canadians: Warner, the reigning Olympic champion, vs. Pierce LePage, the reigning world champ. But LePage pulled out last week due to a back injury, making Warner the favourite to repeat coming off his silver at last year’s world championships. Warner attended Montcalm Secondary School in London where he first showed his athleticism in Grade 10 on the football field and basketball courts. The men’s decathlon starts August 2nd at the Paris Games.
Eleanor Harvey – Fencing – Hamilton
Eleanor Harvey made a remarkable Olympic debut at Rio 2016, achieving Canada’s best-ever result in individual fencing with a seventh-place finish after defeating the world’s top-ranked fencer. She also helped Canada secure gold in women’s team foil at the 2015 Pan Am Games and later won individual bronze and team medals in various events at the 2019 Pan Am Games and double silver in Santiago 2023. At Tokyo 2020, Harvey reached the Table of 16 in individual foil and contributed to a fifth-place finish in team foil. Her international success includes multiple medals at the FIE World Championships and Pan American Championships, as well as becoming the first Canadian women’s foil fencer to win a FIE Grand Prix medal in 2018 and later securing silver medals in both Grand Prix and World Cup events. Collegiately, she won the NCAA Championships in 2016 and placed third in 2017.
Kia Nurse – Basketball Star – Hamilton
Kia Nurse has been a standout player for Canada’s national basketball team, participating in three Olympic Games and three FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cups, including a notable fourth-place finish in 2022. She led Canada in scoring and playing time in her Olympic debut at Rio 2016 and repeated her scoring leadership at Tokyo 2020. Nurse’s exceptional performances include leading Canada to historic gold medals at the 2015 Pan American Games and FIBA AmeriCup, and contributing significantly to Canada’s gold medal defense at the 2017 AmeriCup. She also excelled in the FIBA World Cup, ranking third in scoring in 2018. On the collegiate level, she was instrumental in UConn’s NCAA titles and earned multiple accolades, including ACC Player of the Year. Drafted fifth overall in the 2018 WNBA Draft by the New York Liberty, Nurse made the All-Star Game in 2019 and later played for Phoenix Mercury, Seattle Storm, and Las Vegas Aces, while also achieving success in the Australian WNBL with the Canberra Capitals.
Written by Norfolk News