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‘I Could Hardly See Anyone’- Canadian Swimmer Describes Her Shocking Gold Medal Victory at the Tokyo Olympics 2020

Published 07/26/2021, 12:04 PM EDT

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The swimming events in this year’s Olympics have been amazing. Post Michael Phelps era, there are many talented swimmers out there. One of them is Maggie Mac Neil. She won the gold medal for the women’s 100-meter butterfly event at Tokyo Olympics 2020. The 21-year-old swimmer was in fine form as she took home the victory in an exhilarating race. Notably, she set a time of 55.59 and won the race in style. What’s more interesting is that she was not aware of it.

Likewise, Zhang Yufei claimed the silver with a time of 55.65 while Australia’s Emma McKeon won the bronze medal. She set a time of 55.72.

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Mac Neil’s epic reaction after her victory at Tokyo Olympics 2020

Despite finishing first, Maggie Mac Neil was not aware of her final position. The swimmer notably didn’t wear contact lenses when she raced. Therefore, Mac Neil heard the announcers and looked shocked when she claim the gold.

After the race, Maggie commented on her victory and how the result took her by a surprise.

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“I could hardly see anyone on the far side of the pool, which I think helped me a lot, because I was able to just focus on my own race. I just put my head down and tried to get to the wall as fast as possible,” said Mac Neil.

Above all, the Canadian swam in lane 7 after both Zhang and McKeon set better times in the heats. But she won the race brilliantly. Mac Neil spoke about being away from the other favorites for the event so that she could focus on her swimming. Sarah Sjostrom from Sweden finished seventh but congratulated Maggie at the end. Sjostrom is the current world record for both the 50-meter and 100-meter butterfly events.

READ MORE- “It Doesn’t Matter”: Luka Doncic Picks Slovenian Victory Over Individual Records at Tokyo Olympics 2020

Canada is producing brilliant swimmers

The recent trend in this year’s Tokyo Olympics is the quality of Canadian swimmers in the contest. Maggie Mac Neil, Penny Oleksiak, Kylie Masse, and Summer McIntosh have performed incredibly well in this year’s events.

Mac Neil fantastically won the 100-meter butterfly. Likewise, Penny Oleksiak is the favorite to win the 100-meter freestyle while Kylie Masse set the second-best time in the 100-meter backstroke event. On the other hand, the 14-year-old Summer McIntosh is one for the future and has put respectable swims in all her competitions. The quality of the swimmers is there for people to see, and Canada has what it takes to beat the world record in the medley relay events.

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The swimming competition is an all-out battle between the USA, Australia, and Canada. The quality of the swimming is right up there with the best and the swimming events continue to excite every sporting fan in the world. Which country will finally come on top?

WATCH THIS STORY- Top 10 Moments of Olympic Sporting Spirit

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Written by:

Jacob Gijy

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Jacob Gijy is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Gijy finished his Masters in Counselling Psychology and worked in a hospital for 2 years before his passion for sports compelled him to find his way to sports journalism. A fan of the great Tim Duncan, he is always ready to pick up a debate with anyone who does not offer the centre the respect he deserves.
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