Toronto’s Penny Oleksiak thanks supporters after a few tough years

Canadian Olympic swimmer Penny Oleksiak is thanking all of her supporters after a tough few years for her.

The 24-year-old from Toronto competed in the Summer Olympics in Paris for the third time, having failed to win a single medal the first time.

The only event she competed in was as a member of Canada’s 4×100-meter relay swimming team, where she helped the team qualify for the finals before being replaced by Summer McIntosh, who excelled at Paris 2024. Canada ultimately finished just off the podium in fourth place.

A few weeks before the Paris 2024 final, Oleksiak thanked her fans on social media for their support over the years.

“A huge thank you to all my sponsors and supporters during this Olympics, without them I wouldn’t even be here after my last few years,” Oleksiak wrote. “Thank you to everyone who sent kind messages, they mean more than you know as I process this Olympic run.”

Oleksiak broke onto the Canadian sports scene as a 16-year-old at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, where she won four medals, including a gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle. It made her the country’s most decorated Olympian at a single Games, an honor since surpassed by McIntosh, who won three golds and one silver in Paris.

This brought her total number of Olympic medals to seven, a number only she and sprinter André De Grasse have managed to achieve for Canada.

She continued to make her country proud at the Tokyo 2020 Games, winning three medals and setting a national record as part of the bronze medal-winning 4×100-meter relay team.

Preparations for Paris were difficult for Oleksiak, who struggled to post Olympic qualifying times after recovering from knee surgery.

Despite the disappointing times, Oleksiak was still selected for the Canadian relay team.

This Summer Olympics has been a much quieter affair for Oleksiak, but there’s no doubt that Canadian fans are still hoping she can get back into shape in time for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.