A third swimming final has produced a best finish at an Olympic Games for Finlay Knox.
The Okotokian joined forces with Canadian teammates Kylie Masse, Josh Liendo and Margaret Mac Neil to finish fifth in the thrilling 4x100m mixed medley relay Saturday at La Defense Arena at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
"It was a really special night, just in general," said Knox, in a CBC Sports interview. "And to end this night off with this relay and to come fifth is pretty incredible."
Masse, a backstroke specialist, swam the opening leg, Knox took over in the breaststroke with Liendo and Mac Neil closing the event in the butterfly and freestyle, respectively. United States won gold in a world record time, edging the silver medallist China with Australia taking the bronze. This marked just the second time the mixed medley has been part of the Olympic Games.
Prior to the relay, Canada produced an historic Saturday in the pool.
Liendo and Ilya Kharun took silver and bronze in the 100m butterfly to become the first Canadian men’s swimmers to ever medal in the same event.
Summer McIntosh then won her third gold medal in the 200m IM, earning her fourth podium finish of the Games to tie Penny Oleksiak’s national record.
The three medals from Saturday are the most Canadian swimmers have ever won in one session at an Olympic Games.
Earlier in the day, Knox and the Canadian men’s 4x100m medley relay team, also featuring Kharun, Blake Tierney and Javier Acevedo, qualified for the final on Sunday in a time 3:23.33. The men’s 4x100m medley relay final starts at 11:10 a.m. MST on Aug. 4.
It will be Knox’s fourth final at the Olympics.
He was eighth in the 200m IM on Friday and earlier in the competition helped the 4x100m freestyle relay team earn a sixth-place finish.
Canada sits ninth in the medal standings with 15 (four gold, four silver and seven bronze) over half of which have been won in swimming events.
