Twelve athletes from British Columbia are bringing home eight medals from the Rio 2016 Olympic Summer Games, including team medals in sports such as swimming, soccer, cycling, rugby and rowing.
A total of 142 athletes with a connection to B.C. competed at the Games in 18 different sports. Of those, provincially-affiliated athletes earned 50 per cent of the Canadian Olympic Team’s total medal count: one gold, one silver and nine bronze medals.
Athletes from British Columbia who earned medals at the Games include (in chronological order of achievement):
* Taylor Ruck, Kelowna - swimming - bronze x2
* Kayla Moleschi, Williams Lake - rugby - bronze
* Emily Overholt, Vancouver - swimming - bronze
* Lindsay Jennerich, Victoria - rowing - silver
* Patricia Obee, Victoria - rowing - silver
* Hilary Caldwell, White Rock - swimming - bronze
* Laura Brown, Vancouver - cycling, track - bronze
* Jasmin Glaesser, Vancouver - cycling, track - bronze
* Georgia Simmerling, West Vancouver - cycling, track - bronze
* Sophie Schmidt, Abbotsford - women’s football (soccer) - bronze
* Christine Sinclair, Burnaby - women’s football (soccer) - bronze
* Catharine Pendrel, Kamloops - women’s mountain bike - bronze
In total, Canada won 22 medals: four gold, three silver, and 15 bronze.
Quick Facts:
* 314 athletes make up the Canadian Olympic Team.
* 142 of these athletes have a B.C. connection.
* 68 of them have their hometown in British Columbia.
In 2012 Canadian athletes won 18 medals at the London Olympic Games: one gold, five silver, and 12 bronze.
* Fifty per cent per cent of the medals came from athletes with a connection to this province.
Athletes from British Columbia will represent Canada at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Summer Games from Sept. 7-18.