Canadian Maggie Mac Neil has won gold in the women’s 100-metre butterfly, her second trip to the podium in as many days in Tokyo.
Mac Neil finished with a time of 55.59.
Shortly after qualifying for the final Saturday night, a performance that saw her finish third in her semifinal and sixth overall with a time 56.56 seconds, Mac Neil helped Canada secure its first medal of these Games as a member of the silver-medal winning women’s 4×100-metre relay team.
The 21-year-old is no stranger to rising to the moment on sport’s biggest stages.
During the 2019 world championships, her first senior international event, Mac Neil went head-to-head with Sweden’s Sarah Sjöström in the final. Sjöström, the world-record holder for the event and reigning Olympic champion at the time, was heavily favoured to secure what would have been her fifth world title in six chances.
Instead, Mac Neil happened. With an Americas-record-setting swim in the final, Mac Neil finished in 55.83 seconds, a show-stopping performance she was able to replicate Sunday night.
